


Growing Pains

by Starshaker



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Beach House, Beacon Hills High School, Derek Needs a Hug, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, F/M, Gen, Hurt Derek, Insecurity, M/M, New Kid Stiles Stilinski, POV Stiles, Pack Family, Stiles Helps, Stiles-centric, Swim Team, Teen Crush, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 03:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 25,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11222772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starshaker/pseuds/Starshaker
Summary: Highschool AU. Stiles arrives at Beacon Hills High School and doesn't know what he's let himself in for when he encouraged his Dad to take the sheriff position. Two years later he's long since settled but from day one he'd had Derek Hale in his constant periphery.  Due to a series of seemingly inconsequential reasons, he and Derek start developing a closer friendship and a closer bond,





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my beta reader DLS/myblackeyedboy and the artist of the piece that inspired this fic, HD-Hale.

Stiles was having a brilliant first day at Beacon Hills High School. He’d turned down his dad’s offer of a lift on his first day and after getting up an hour early to make sure he could be properly prepared, he couldn’t find his keys as he was about to leave. 

 

Somehow he found he only arrived half an hour late, and so, did it appear, did someone else. A girl was sat just outside the front of the school on the phone and rifling through her bag.

“Yes Mom, yeah. Ugh my first day and I forget a pencil. Yeah I will. Okay bye, bye Mom, yeah, bye,”

“Yo!” Stiles jogged over to her before she had time to head inside, “You say it was your first day?”

“Uh yeah,”

“I’m in the same boat, and late too. But first impressions aren’t that important right?” She cocked her head to one side and laughed.

“I’m Allison,”

“Stiles, or at least that what I’m hoping to convince people to call me instead of the name which’ll be on the registers,”

“How come,”

“It’s not pretty. And it’s pretty much butchered by anyone who tries to pronounce it,”

“Time to face the wolves?” Alison asked with a nod towards the door.

“Ladies first,”

 

A snort came from the back of the room just before the teacher, Mr Harris, yelled it the same general direction.

“McCall!” 

“What? Yes, here,” The rest of the class sniggered as the boy which curly hair and a dazed sleep addled expression shot his head up.

“Here as in present yes you are, if I catch you asleep again this week, you will have detentions each and every afternoon,”

“Sorry sir,”

“Right then,”

 

Stiles saw out of the corner of his eye the boy, McCall, scanning around the room falling on Stiles and grinning and waved and then realising there was someone sat behind him. He turned slightly and gave her a small smile too. Allison smiled shyly and then whispered something to him. He dove into his bag, nearly knocking over his desk before twisting back around and handing her a biro.

 

“Stilinski, Where’s your book?”

“I haven’t had chance to get it yet, I only started today,”

“Not good enough, the office could have forwarded you a list of the texts you’d need in preparation if you’d bothered to ask.”

“Hey, I’ll get them as soon as I can. I can just share with someone for now right?” He suggested

“No you will not,” Harris snapped, looking at Stiles as if he were the epitome of scum “I will not have students assuming they can put in less effort if their classmates are reliably prepared instead,”

“But sir,”

“No talk backs. I don’t know what your previous school taught you but you are here to do as I say,” He took several steps forwards until his was staring down at Stiles. It was vaguely intimidating but it wasn’t the first time he hadn’t been liked by a teacher. The urge to talk back felt like an itch under his skin and he clenched his fists under the table and willed it with all his might to go away. Harris turned on his heel and started talking on the topic as his classmates followed in their books. Stiles let out a deep breath and scribbled down notes as to keep track as much as he could.

 

 

He haphazardly stuffed his papers into his bag at the end of class when someone approached him. A hand landed on his arm as he zipped close the rucksack.

“Hey man, I’m Scott,” Stiles looked up to see the guy who’d been equally called out for sleeping as Stiles had been for the book. 

“Stiles,”

“Don’t worry about Harris, he hates more people than he can count,” Scott shrugged. The guy must have had to put up with more than his fair share of it through the other years of high school from the sounds of it.

“Kind of knew I was going to make some enemies, didn’t think it would be on my first day though,” Stiles said shouldering his bag 

“What class you got next?”

“Uh,” He pulled out the already screwed up timetable from the outer pocket of his jacket. “Math, Room 127”

“Aw sorry man I’m not in that one. Totally not my forte, but I can help you find it,”

“Yeah thanks,” Scott started off towards the door and Stiles followed by his side.

“So where’re you from then?”

“LA, big city didn’t entirely agree with us though so we moved back out here when Dad got the job offer,”

“So you and Allison are…?”

“Coincidentally starting on the same day. NO relation. Same terrible timekeeping and first impression habits,”

“She didn’t set a terrible first impression,”

“Aw thanks man,”

“No, well I didn’t really see you walk in. But she’s really pretty,”

“I’m offended dude, I wasn’t pretty enough to shake you from your daydream,”

“I always fall asleep in Harris’ class. I can’t help it. Mum gets back like early hours the night before so I wait for her to get in,”

“I get that with my Dad,”

“Do you think she’d like me?”

“I really wouldn’t know man. Why don’t you get to know her first?”

“She’s got to talk to me when she gives me my pen back,”

“Looks like you’ve got the start of a plan there,”

“You’re going to have to be my wingman,” Scott decided and grinned

“You got it,” Stiles agreed as the reached the top of the stairs and Scott pulled him out of the way of the crowds.

“One two seven is just there,” He pointed to a door a few ahead of them, “And I’ll see you later yeah,”

“Sure,” Stiles nodded and braced himself for a whole new lesson from hell. 

 

A mousy haired girl got to the class just a few steps before him, glanced up at the board, stopped dead and backed up straight into him.

“Whoa sorry,” Stiles threw up his arms at the instant glare that had been directed at him. She appeared to give him a once over and then squinted as if instantly suspicious

“You’re new,” She stated.

“Yeah,”

“Malia Tate you will not skip out of my class again,” a shrill voice carried down the corridor and the girl in front of Stiles looked up and scowled.

“Is that an order or a premonition?” Stiles muttered under his breath and the girl smirked in front of him before turning reluctantly walked in and took her seat. 

“You must be Mr Stilinski,” The woman said in greeting as she too passed him. He followed her to her desk.

“Stiles yeah, My grades haven’t been forwarded here yet but I’ve got a solid 4.0 GPA,” Stiles had worked hard for the GPA. It proved something to himself, his dad, and all his old teachers who hadn’t been able to see past his ADHD and infrequent panic attacks. 

“Good to know,” The teacher nodded and then pointed over to one of the tables by the window “Take a seat Mr Stilinski, I’m sure you’ll get along in my class just fine,”

 

Stiles didn’t especially want to make it known from his first day that giving him the distraction of everything outside the window was actually a terrible idea so he took the seat and hoped in a couple of weeks time he could convince someone to swap with him.

The lesson passed relatively quickly, the first half being people in the class asked up to solve problems on the board which had been set for homework previously. The work was familiar but he jotted it down regardless.

 

Come the end of the lesson he was both glad and uneasy about lunch. He waited until most of the class had already left and then followed them in hopes of finding the canteen. The same boring and largely tasteless food greeted him there but he took it anyway. Some sort of pasta bake that looked mostly edible and he resolved to make good use of the extra chocolate bars he’d stuffed into his bag that morning. He paid for his food and stepped out of the line looking for a table where he could effectively blend into the background. Outside was always an option but he’d promised his dad that he’d make the effort at least on the first day. 

He was pushed from behind and after taking a step to catch his balance he turned to see a thin dark haired girl she looked determined and resolved. 

“Keep walking,” She snapped. He stepped out of her way as if to let her pass and she stopped. “I meant keep walking straight ahead. Scott mentioned you, you’re gonna sit with us right,”

“Uh sure. Who are you?” He stepped up to where she was.

“Your worst nightmare,” She said in a dark voice which actually made Stiles feel a little uneasy, “God I’ve always wanted to say that,” She smiled brightly and beckoned him to follow her, “Come on,” and then she led the way to an out of the way table behind a pillar that Stiles had missed. Scott was already there and grinned when he saw Stiles approaching.

 

He was almost at the table when, much like the girl who had forcefully corralled him across the room, he was pushed out of the way of some guy who barely glanced him way. 

“Hey!” Stiles objected. turned at his objection and glanced over at Stiles and raised an eyebrow.

“Your friend should look where he’s going Cora,” The guy said with a glance past Stiles to Cora. 

“I’ve got the measure of this asshole,” She scoffed and pushed Stiles on towards a table ahead of them. Stiles circled round sat down opposite Scott. 

“So what’s his problem?” Stiles asked and Scott who already had a mouthful of food shrugged half heartedly, “Tall dark and handsome think he rules the school or something?”

“Nah, he’s not a big fan of people. He and Cora are always butting heads,”

 

“Who is he?” Stiles asked nodding to where the tall dark haired guy who’d apparently tired of Cora’s rant had gone to sit at the head of the rowdiest table in the room.

“That’s Derek Hale, my brother. And you better forget about him. He doesn’t date.” Stiles glanced up to see Cora stood behind him, “Cora Hale,” Cora extended her hand and in the time it took Stiles to raise his hand to shake hands, she’d already stolen his dessert. Her eyes flicked down to his bag on the seat next to him. She shoved it off the bench and took the space herself. 

“So who is in my league?”

“Greenberg,” She pointed to a guy across the room who seemed to be finishing some homework or something, a large ink stain from his mouth down his chin and eating his food with one hand from what looked like a hideously mixed heaped bowl of everything on offer from the counter

“And what makes you think I’m gay,” Stiles asked and levelled him with an unimpressed look. 

“You think my brother’s hot,”

“Doesn’t mean I’m gay,”

“Okay then, Malia Tate,” She pointed to a girl Stiles recognised from him class earlier. 

“Seems a little homicidal,”

“From the way she’s stabbing her potatoes?” Scott asked.

“Nah, in math earlier I’m pretty sure she working out probabilities on getting away with different crimes,”

“You could just tell us your type,”

“Maybe I’ll just settle in first,” Stiles said as he ducked his head and scooped up what could have been some sort of meat pie.

“Suit yourself,” Cora said.

 

By last period Stiles had picked up an elastic band where it had been left on a desk and it was keeping his hands busy to save fidgeting too noticeably. He’d been put in an advanced class for English but he still recognised a few faces. Scott was on the other side of the room, Lydia and Allison behind him. He could feel himself losing his concentration like a buzzing of nervous energy under his skin from trying to stop himself from doing anything precisely in character for him. He’d learnt his lesson from the last place. 

They were studying Shakespeare’s classic, Hamlet, and Stiles did know what he was talking about here. The teacher, Stiles had missed her name, had told them to work in groups to discuss the most recent chapter they’d read over the weekend and as the groups broke away she walked over to Stiles.

“A copy of this semester’s text, Mr Stilinski,”

“Oh, thanks. I studied this at my last school, It’s actually pretty interesting,”

“That’s good to hear. What assessments did you have on the text?”

“Oh we had to pick a sub-topic discussed in the play and give our interpretation of it,”

“That does sound like an interesting assignment,” She agreed, putting the book down in front of him and wandered in a large circle of the room and then back to her desk. Stiles went to turn round to talk to the girls behind him but they had their backs facing him and Stiles was already under the impression she was stunning and intimidating. Allison shot him a smile over her shoulder but was pulled back into their group talk before Stiles could include himself in the discussion. The other groups too had formed without him leaving Stiles to his group of one. Instead he daydreamed for a few minutes and then the teacher was calling the class to attention once again.

 

“Stiles, you say you’ve studied this book recently. Can you tell us what you know on-,”

 

Stiles remembered little more from that class. He’d rattled off names and dates, ten minutes in he’d successfully stunned everyone in the room to silence and managed to recite a good proportion of his knowledge of the history of male circumcision. He’d trailed off but the damage was ultimately already done and he’d successfully set his impression at his new school as well as he had at the last. As the teacher finally regained her composure and moved the commentary on Stiles dropped his head to the desk and it stayed there until the bell went some time later.

 

He stood in amongst the crowd of students packing their things away and was one of the first out of the door of the room and zig zagging his way through the corridors to his locker. He grabbed the few things still left in there out of habit rather than need to take all the books home with him. Coming back to a booby trapped locker was a matter out course at his last school. He could pull pranks with the best of them but working single-handedly against kids twice his size and in groups of near a dozen wasn’t the easiest challenge to accomplish. He buoyed along with the crowds that pushed him out the main doors and then found his way around to the side where the car parks was. Since he’d arrived late that morning his car was at the far back of the lot. As he walked he shifted his rucksack round to one shoulder and searched the front pocket for his car keys where he usually slotted them into a lockable pocket. They weren’t there. 

 

“Oh my god, not twice in one day,” Stiles frantically patted himself down looking for his keys when he heard someone calling him from further down the car park.

“Stiles!” He turned to see Allison jogging over narrowly missing getting hit by a football. “You dropped these by your locker,” She held out his keys and Stiles sagged with relief.

“You have no idea the hell you just saved me from,” He took them from her and kissed them.

“Could I get a lift home though? My dad called and said he’d be really late,” There was a shyness to her voice but it wasn’t like Stiles had anything better to do. He had promised his Dad that he’d try and make friends here after all.

“Sure no problem. You’ll have to give me directions though, I’ve not really got my bearings yet,” He gestured to the car as he opened the driver’s door and she circled around to the other side.

“When did you move here?” She asked after calling her dad to say she was getting a lift home.

“Two days ago. I haven’t even had my bed uncovered from the boxes yet,”

“So you’ve been living off takeaways?”

“Just pizza actually. And the school dinner today. Dad had to start work straight away and left me one number for a pizza delivery. He’s working late again tonight. Apparently the previous sheriff wasn’t big on organisation. Don’t suppose you know if there’s a decent place in town?”

“Would you like a home cooked meal instead?” She suggested and Stiles looked across at her.

“I would love one.” He said sincerely “I think the delivery guy is getting sick of my face,” She laughed. 

“Mum always cooks for a dozen and she’s been getting used to the oven so has gone a little overboard on starter platters and sides,”

“Your mom sounds awesome. If you’re sure it’s okay?”

“Yeah, She was worried I wouldn’t make friends. I didn’t really want to move again,”

“My Dad’s the same. Moving again?” Stile asked keeping his eyes on the road as the traffic slowed down again at another set of lights. 

“Nine moves in seven years. Dad moves where business is better and I may have been more stubborn about this last move. I thought we were staying,” She said with a sigh. 

“Huh, that’s rough. Gotta say I was kind of grateful for the move,” He glanced over at Allison who silently prompted for an explanation. “I wasn’t exactly popular at the last place, even here I’d be happy to just blend into the background. My last school was with all the kids who saw me grow into my ADHD,”

“Well it looks like you have it mostly under control now,” She smiled.

“Mostly,” he raised his eyebrows and silently asking her if she’d missed the twenty minutes of almost entirely off topic Hamlet monologue. “I had an idea my first day would be a little worse than others. My last english professor called it verbal incontinence.” 

“Scott seems like he wouldn’t mind a bit of hyperactivity, he kind of word vomited his life story at me earlier in the most awkward way possible,”

“It’s not just that, but yeah. He seemed pretty chill when he was talking to me,” Stiles said, “I saw you smiling at him,” He teased.

“He was nice!” She shoved him in the arm.

“Seems a little shunned,” Stiles mused, “Not that I’m complaining, he seems great but didn’t notice many of his friends coming over to him,”

“Lydia was nice, dragged me off to meet her boyfriend, Jackson,”

“Bet that was fun,” He turned to look at her with an incredulous look before returning his gaze to the road. “Which one was Lydia?”

“Red hair, she was in all advanced placement classes,”

“Strawberry blonde, perfectly coiffed,”

“Yeah, and she also proclaimed I was her new best friend,”

“Lucky you,”

“It’s the next left ,” Stiles took the turning and slowed right down.

“Oh my god this is your place?” He asked as he leant forward to look up at the huge house coming up in front of them.

“Yeah,”

“Scott was right, you’re totally a Disney princess,”

“He said that?”

“In the stunningly beautiful way. Initially he thought we were siblings and I think he tried to ask my permission to talk to you,” Stiles said as he tried to figure out where to park that wouldn’t spoil the entire look of the house. Allison giggled and her hair fell across her face as she dipped her head to hide the rising colour in her cheeks. 

“You didn’t hear it from me though,” Stiles said as he pulled up a little passed the front door and shifted it into park, “Bro code forbids us from telling girls about our friend’s crushes,”

“Got it,” She nodded whilst trying to hold back a wide smile.

 

Stiles hopped out of the car and waited for her he scanned around the bushes surrounding the driveway to the front door. Allison collected her bag from the backseat and beckoned him to follow her inside. As he turned a movement caught his eye just outside the gates. He would have sworn he saw something or someone duck down behind the bushes. Allison had already reached the door and had the key in the lock. He turned to lock the car as he pushed down the feeling that they were being watched.

 

 

“Mum, I’m home!” She dropped her bag on the stairs and gestured for Stiles to leave his on the rack by the door if he wanted to.

“In the kitchen Ali,” Came the reply as Stiles was toeing off his shoes and pushing them under where his bag sat in the hallway. 

Allison headed through past the stairs and greeted her mum with a hug. 

“Mum this is Stiles, He’s new to Beacon Hills too and has been surviving off pizza deliveries for the past couple of days. I invited him for dinner since he drove me home,”

“Well then, It’s nice to meet you Stiles,” 

“Hey, yeah hi. Sorry what should I call you, I haven’t caught your last name all day,” He waved in Allison’s direction. 

“It’s Argent, And you’re welcome to call me Mrs Argent until we know each other better, Stiles,”

“Yeah of course, Mrs Argent, got it,” 

“Allison wasn’t your father supposed to drive you home today?”

“He called to say he was running late so I asked Stiles if he wouldn’t mind,”

“Thank you,” She said to Stiles waved it off, “I’ll have a word with your father when he gets home,”

“It’s okay mom, his meeting probably ran over or something,”

“I’m sure. Why don’t you got watch some TV while I finish up here, It should be ready in a little while, I’ll call you back in then,”

 

 

Allison’s Dad walked in just as they were all sitting down to eat and Stiles had been peppered with questions about where he was from, his grades, his IQ and his parent’s jobs. He’d stuttered over telling Mrs Argent his mum had died several years ago and he was sure he’d seen Allison give her mom a sharp look before she’d apologised for prying. 

Mr Argent was filled in by his wife on all she’d managed to learn from Stiles about his background when Stiles then asked what it was Mr Argent did for a living. 

“Dad’s a weapons dealer,”

“Huh, didn’t realise Beacon Hills would be a good trading arena for that sort of thing,” 

“You’d be surprise where demand for my trades lie. From Beacon Hills I can access a far larger client base than where we were previously,”

“Yeah Allison mentioned that you’d moved around a fair bit, You going to be staying here for a while then? If you’ve got a decent client base,”

“We’ll see, I can never tell where the business will lead us,”

“Hey, it’ll be nice if you do stay though,” He glanced to Allison who smiled back at him. “Can explore the area a bit. Dad said my Mom grew up around here. Seems like your average little town,” 

“Quaint I’m sure,”

“Regardless, we’ve only just arrived, we’re not thinking about moving again just yet,”

“That’s cool, I won’t lose one of my one friends here so soon then,”

“You’ve got Scott, and that girl you were sat with at lunch,”

“Cora Hale, yeah she’d eat me for breakfast,”

“Friends with a Hale?”

“Yeah, she kind of corralled me into sitting with them at lunch. Very determined, a little bit scary,”

“Yes I had heard things about the Hales,”

“Like what?” Allison asked.

“Just sounded like they were outsiders from the town. Aggressive tactics get them whatever they want. I wouldn’t let them intimidate you Stiles,”

“Yeah, no. Don’t let Cora bully me into anything, I got it,” Just then Stiles’ phone went off in his pocket and he scrambled for it apologising.

 

“Hey,”

“Stiles please tell me your jeep hasn’t broken down on the way home,” He dad sounded tired

“What? No, she’s running just fine. Made a friend, got invited round for real food. I thought you were working late again tonight,”

“I am, one of the deputies told me your jeep wasn’t in the driveway,”

“That is entirely unconstitutional. Completely bad practice. I’ll have to get them all on my side, you just wait,”

“I was just checking you were okay, I’m glad you made some friends,”

“Yeah so no worries there too, right?,”

“No more than your old man can handle,”

“You want me to pick you some dinner up and drop it off for you?”

“No that’s okay, we were going to order in Chinese or something. That unhealthy stuff deep fried and is killing me slowly,”

“You joke about it but once we’re settled in your diet is going to be on top form,”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,”

“So I’ll see you later?”

“Don’t wait up okay, and next time let me know if you’re going to a friend’s house. I don’t need you disappearing and getting yourself into trouble on my first week on the job,”

“You got it,”

“Love you,”

“Yeah, love you too dad,”

 

“Is your father okay?” Mrs Argent asked when he re-entered the room.

“Yeah, he’s just managed to convince the deputies to stay on the lookout for my jeep already. They reported back that it wasn’t in the driveway at home like it was supposed to be, so he thought he’d better check in,”

“I can entirely understand,” Mr Argent said as he continued to eat not meeting Stiles’ eye. Stiles got the feeling that Allison had scolded him for the questions while he was out of the room.

“I get it, I do. I used to check in on him too when we were back in LA. Kept track of the police radio and the incidents he was called to,”

“That doesn’t sound entirely legal,” Allison said with an air of teasing in her voice.

“I will neither confirm nor deny the extent of my actions regarding my father’s safety,” Stiles countered with a grin.

“I’m sure he appreciates the thought if not the actions,” Mrs Argent said considerately.

“Sounds about right. But to uh, put his mind at ease, I had better go. It was a lovely dinner Mrs Argent but I don’t want my dad to worry more than he has to,”

 

“Of course. Would you like me to box up some of the left overs for you to take with you?”

“I would love some,”

“Mom, give him some of the cookies too. We’re never going to eat them all,”

“Why don’t you two pick out what you think is best then. Just leave enough for your father to take to work with him tomorrow,”

 

Stiles packed the carrier bag into the back seat of his jeep and turn back to Allison who had seen him out. 

“Your family seems cool, sorry to rush off though,”

“They don’t have listening devices out here y’know,”

“Not that you know of. But hey if Scotty ever does end up meeting them I can safely say they’ll scare his wits to the next state,”

“Stiles!”

“I’m told it’s a good thing,”

“Drive safe,”

“Thanks, I’ll see you tomorrow okay. And thanks for the extra food,” He waved and jumped up into the driver’s seat and then waved again as he started back down the drive. 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**“That’s Derek Hale, and you better forget about him. He doesn’t date.”**

 

That was two years ago, but those words stuck with Stiles nearly every time he’d caught sight of Derek. Derek didn’t talk to him, look at him or do anything but sit there being stupidly good looking, smart, super good at sports and devastatingly distant. He was a wet dream and entirely out of Stiles’ league, in the same way Lydia was. Lydia being a strawberry-blonde goddess walking the earth. She didn’t have to notice him for Stiles to admire how smart and beautiful she was. If anyone asked, he had a ten year plan to get her to notice him and or fall in love with him. It was a work in progress if he was honest, and not a wholly coherent plan.

 

There was Scott who had been his best friend from day one and Scott’s latest crush who’d just joined their year group, Kira Yukimura. Isaac, who Scott had adopted after he’d found him sleeping out on a bench outside the vet clinic instead of going home. Cora was the friend who wouldn’t put up with anyone’s crap and true to Mr Argent’s rumour Stiles had first heard years ago, forceful in getting what she wanted. Though all force and aggression was fuelled by loyalty to her friends and Stiles had thankfully only been on the wrong side of it a handful of times.

 

Allison, though she didn’t always sit with them, had the best reflexes of any of the group and her talents for swiping answer sheets from teachers who thought POP quizzes were the way forward. A valuable asset to any group of highschoolers.

 

There was Boyd and Erica too; Stiles had sat with Erica for five hours in the hospital after an epileptic fit. They’d found a common interest in comic book heroes and had barely noticed the time going until Melissa and knocked on the door carefully and told them that Erica’s mom had arrived and was on her way up. Stiles had made a stealthy exit after that. A few days later Erica had dropped her dessert pot from lunch on his table as she passed. After talking to her once or twice more she’d joined their table and as the group grew suddenly they were slightly taking over another kid’s table.

 

That kid being Boyd, who Stiles had figured valued his privacy and solitude above little else. Erica took two days to push Boyd to breaking point, and when Stiles was certain they’d crossed a line and Boyd was going to up and leave, a laugh had burst from him at something Erica had whispered.

 

These were the people most important to Stiles.

And Derek. Derek was on the swim team, sat with the sports team in the canteen at lunch and tried his utmost to avoid everything to do with his sister’s group of friends. He’d look physically offended the last time Stiles had spoken to him. He’d learnt from one of Cora’s angry outbursts, that Derek was actually a year older than her and had been held back to her year when his anger issues, poor people skills and difficulty in the classroom had been too much for his first school teacher to deal with and had suggested he try the year over. Stiles had known the same resentment as Derek no doubt had. He’d been held back when his then undiagnosed ADHD had caused problems of his own. He’d never broached the subject with Derek. He had the feeling he’d regret it if he did. As far as his friends knew, bar Scott, he was the same age as the rest of them. He couldn’t look forward to drinking on his meds anyway.

 

Scott, Stiles, Kira and Isaac were on the Lacrosse team; and were somehow not too bad of players. Stiles and Scott had been benched for a eighty-one percent of their games and Coach had used them as bad examples for most of their year and a half on the team.

In hopes of impressing both Allison and Lydia they’d work around their flaws and now Scott was co-captain of the team. Jackson was also a co-captain but the team diverted to Scott’s authority whenever they thought they could get away with it. Stiles was proud of him, and a little bit defensive when freshmen thought to question his best friend’s authority and skill on the field or during try-outs.

 

Some things never change though and when Stiles fished in his pockets for his keys to the jeep after he’d waved off the others after practice he came up empty. He’d gotten better at working out where they could be though, and minutes later Stiles had run back through the hallways skidding on the floor and crashed full force into the locked door of the economics room. The whole school was empty by now, cleaners having completed their duties and locked up and through the glass in the door he could see his keys where they’d fallen out of his pocket and under his chair.

“No, no no no, ugh God damn it!” He swore and kicked the door hard.

“Why are you making so much noise out here?” Stiles looked up to see Derek stood in the middle of the corridor having just come out of the gym. His face was gleaned with sweat and Stiles knew he should have replied already instead of tracing his eyes down Derek’s damp t-shirt. He bit his bottom lip and tore his eyes away to the keys in the classroom.

“My keys,” Stiles said, “My keys to my jeep and my only way of getting home besides walking a frankly hideous distance are locked in there,”

“Couldn’t you get a lift with the others?” Derek asked wiping a hand down his face as if he were dealing with an incompetent.

“We’ve just had lacrosse, they’ve all gone now,” Stiles said slowly an edge of sarcasm in his voice that earning him rolled eyes from Derek.

“Cora will be out on the front steps. Laura’s picking us up,”

“So I could get a lift?” Stiles asked.

“I guess,” Derek said and shrugged. He waved one hand off in the direction of the front office and turned back towards the gym rooms.

“Okay, cool man, thanks,” Stiles said despite the door already swinging shut between them.

 

 

Cora was on the steps and she looked up as he came out the main door.

“Would have thought you’d have already left Stilinski,”

“My keys are casually chilling out in the economics room and the door’s locked. Derek said I could catch a lift with you guys,” He dropped down next to her on the steps

“Huh. Are you surprised he knows your name?” She leant back with her hands on the step behind, her legs stretched out in front of her, ankles crossed. She rarely took up so much space, usually functioning as a coiled spring ready to lash out either physically or verbally. Stiles had learnt to sit opposite her if at all possibly, or at the very least with a buffer zone save sporting an impressive yet painful bruise to his arm should he say the wrong thing.

“I’m not entirely sure he does. He did tell me I was making too much noise when I was swearing at the door though,”

“You got any Reese's?” She reached for his bag as she asked.

“Well I went to get them out the other day and someone’s petty fingers had lifted them already,” Stiles said. Cora scowled.

“Was probably Erica,” She suggested

“I’m friends with a crooks and thieves,” Stiles lamented but smiled nonetheless.

“As if you can talk! Which of us is it that Jackson has a restraining order on?”

“It was a prank, a harmless prank,” Stiles objected, the words familiar on his tongue though everyone knew he meant that Jackson got exactly what he deserved..

Stiles and Scott had waited until Jackson was drunk after a party and gave him a scare; a minor scare as Stiles insisted. Kidnapping him, blindfolding and gagging him before leaving him in an empty shed in the woods had totally been the best course of action. Scott had helped with a little persuasion and Stiles would NEVER give up his accomplice.

In truth Jackson had been seriously screwing up Lydia’s attitude and Stiles couldn’t just sit back and let him. His blood had been boiling when he’d seen Jackson intimidating Lydia. That his words had her shrunk against one of the walls at school as she was called dead weight.

“Yeah, _that’s_ what happened,”

“I stand by my account of the facts,” Stiles said “And my speculation that Jackson had clearly taken something,”

 

“Laura’s here,” She nodded over as the car came into view. “If you can convince her you’re telling the truth I’ll stop stealing your Reeses for a week,”

“If you repaid me all the ones you’ve already stolen i’d take that bet,” Stiles said as they both stood. Cora jumped the six steps down to the pavement without a second thought as Stiles heaved his bag up onto his shoulder. Cora threw the door open.

“Cora, Mom said no study groups on Thursdays, family dinner remember?”

“I just need a lift if that’s okay. My keys got locked in a classroom,”

 

“Hey!” Stiles turned when he heard Derek call from behind and something was flying through the air at him. He yelled as Cora’s hand shot out and caught the projectile just before it hit his face and she pressed it into his hand.

“My keys! How’d you get them?” He grinned up at Derek who wasn’t sporting his usual frown at Stiles’ presence. He actually looked kind of amused at Stiles’ accidental stupidity.

“It doesn’t matter. Try not to lose them again,”

“You got it!” He turned back to Laura and Cora who’d already claimed the front seat, “I guess I don’t need a lift anymore,”

“Good, you stink of Lacrosse shit anyway,” Cora snapped at him.

“Watch your language,” She whacked her younger sister round the back of the head which started a bickering match between them.

“Now look what you’ve done,” Derek muttered as he stepped around Stiles to the car.

“Hey totally not my fault. They’re your sisters, man,”

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m adopted,” Derek said quietly just as he got in the car and Stiles thought it was quiet enough only he was likely to hear it but apparently not.

“Hey!” Said the pair in the front seat only vaguely offended.

“See you tomorrow Stiles,” Cora said smiling.

“Yeah see you,” Stiles grinned and jogged off to the parking lot. The Hales drove past him and Stiles caught a snip of Derek mockingly imitating Cora’s “ _see you tomorrow Stiles”_ and Cora yelled something in return.

 

Stiles often stopped in at the police station on his way home and since Stiles hadn’t anything else to do that night, homework didn’t count of course, he parked out front. First call was to the store round the corner for snacks. This was half of how he had most of his dad’s deputies on his side in the healthy eating war which had been going on for years. As he passed each desk he dropped a packet of sweets, savouries, or salad and nodded to each as he passed.

“Sanders, Daniel, Holly, is Madame in the mood for healthy or-,” He waved the bag of maltesers just out of her reach.

“Don’t tease the mother-to-be. Gimme the chocolate Stiles, I need it after that jerk over there has been strutting through the office like he owns the place again,” She nodded to Haig who currently had his earphones in and heels kicked up on the desk.

“You got it ma’am,” He said as he gave her a mock salute when she snatched the bag from him. Holly was going to be the best mom, and Stiles in turn would be the best babysitter. He’d decided from the moment he’d first found out and since developed a fully fledged argument; if he can look after his dad and Scott with ease, he would clearly be the best older brother a kid could get. She’d laughed at him but she saved the ultrasound pictures to show him before any other of her co-workers.

“Parrish, my man!” He threw another Reese's’ over the desk at the same time as stepped back and knocking into Haig’s desk. The open bottle of water on the desk wobbled and fell across his lap as Stiles jumped back out of the way. Haig cried out and struggled to his feet, almost tipping his chair over backwards in the process.

“Stiles you little-,” Haig started as Stiles backed away, hands offered up in surrender. The guy stalked forwards red in the face and fuming.

“Stiles! My office now!”

“Yes Dad,” Stiles said. He spun round out of Haig’s path and into his dad’s office. The hardest part was as he waited the seconds for the door to shut behind him before he burst out laughing.

“You have got to stop embarrassing my officers,”

“Haig is a moron. Last week he almost blew up that police car with Parrish in it. He was checking for a possible a leaking fuel line with his lighter,”

“It’s not your place to get your own back on my officer’s misdemeanours,”

“Haig thinks he’s your favourite,” Stiles said incredulously.

“Well you’re certainly not,” His dad said and levelled him with a look.

“I am a joy to be around,”

“On your good days I suppose. How was school?” His dad shoved several files to the side of his desk to make room for the sandwich and health food popcorn Stiles passed him.

“Coach told us when our next lacrosse game is. It’s against Liam’s old school apparently. He hates them so we’re totally going to kick their butt,”

“Write it on my calendar, I’ll make sure i’m there,” His dad said. He tore open the sandwich wrapper and took a bite.

“Hey no you don’t have to. Coach hasn’t decided the line up yet and I know you’ve had a lot going on with those supposed wolf sightings,” Stiles asid as he tore into his own bag of popcorn.

“You’re my son I’m coming to the game,”

“Thanks dad,” Stiles said and smiled into his own food.

“Besides it’s one of the only times I’m allowed the junk food, right?”

“Right,” Stiles said, and nodded when his dad looked up and caught his eye.

“Liam’s the one with the temperamental issues isn’t he? Not causing any trouble in his spare time?”

“Nothing I wouldn’t do,” Stiles said.

“That’s not reassuring,”

“That’s totally reassuring; I’ve never done anything too illegal.”

“I shouldn’t condone you doing anything illegal,”

“My curiosity should not be punished,”

“Your curiosity is a pain in my backside,”

“But a constant pain, like a pain you’d miss if it suddenly disappeared,”

“Like losing a dysfunctional limb,”

“I’ll take that,”

Just then a knock came from the door and Parrish ducked his head in.

“Sheriff, sorry to disturb you but there’s just been another report of those big dogs, wolves, mountain lions whatever, they were running across the road out by the preserve. A woman swerved to miss them and ran her car into a tree,”

“Wow people have really latched onto this wolves in Beacon Hills thing huh,” Stiles said raising his eyebrows and glancing between his dad and Parrish who had stepped into the room.

“There have been a few more big animal attacks near the main roads too, whatever it is it’s getting closer,” His dad added, grabbing the food and moving to get his jacket.

“So are you warning people or…?” Stiles asked around a mouthful of food

“They’re warning themselves. Until we release a statement about it the panic will keep people aware but not extreme and trigger happy,” Parrish told him.

 

Stiles followed his dad out to the crash site, he could argue it was on his way home, or he could have wanted to take the scenic route. His dad shot his a look as he jumped out of the car and Stiles held his hands up in surrender. He took a wide circle around the crash to get as best a view as he could without getting within ten feet of the police tape.

 

“Do you know who it was?” Stiles startled and turned to see Derek stood just at his shoulder.

 

“Whoa hey Derek, what are you doing out here?”

“I live near here, could see the lights through the trees. Wondered what had happened,”

“Woman ran her car into a tree avoiding some big dogs or something. Y’know that myth that’s been round school. Another driver found her and called it in. She’s really shaken up but not too injured,”

“No-one we’d know,”

“Dad knows her but I don’t,”

“I, I’ve got to go,”

“Oh alright, fine, bye,” He turned round but Derek was no-where to be seen.

 

Stiles waited where he was for about thirty seconds before venturing forwards. As he rounded the ambulance he saw Chris Argent talking to his dad.

“If I find you’ve been hunting out here out of season Mr Argent I’ll have to fine you. With all these rumours going around I can’t have people out in these woods firing off at every little thing. Someone could get hurt,”

“I understand your concern but we were just doing a little training, no harm no foul. This is my trade, I like to have a feel for the items I’m buying and selling,”

“Then use a range,”

“Of course,” he nodded and turned away, “Stiles,” He nodded as he passed.

 

“Please tell me you haven’t taken up shooting in the woods with him and Allison in your spare time,”

“Hey, no way, Allison is scary enough without seeing her toting a bow and arrow. And you taught me to shoot, why would I get his help?. Ninety percent of the time he doesn’t like me, and when he does it’s because I’m not Scott trying to get in his daughter’s pants,”

“Good,” He said rubbing a hand over his forehead and eyes. When he dropped his hand back down he turned to look at Stiles, “I thought I told you not get out of the car,”

“So you did,” He said, pointing with one finger to emphasise the point and turning on his heel when a question bubbled up. He turned round to see his dad already talking with the paramedic confirming that the woman was going to be taken in to be checked over regardless of the initial lack of injuries. He called out to him.

“Hey dad, where’s the nearest house to here?” He dad jerked his head up as he replied,

“About half a mile to the turn for the Hale house,” His dad said. He gestured up to road and the winding road disappeared after a few hundred metres. “They shouldn’t have anything to worry about,”

“Kay,” He nodded, “I’ll see you at home,” Stiles said and his Dad waved him off before he turned and headed back to the patrol car.

 

 

The supposed wolf attacks and sightings were the height of conversation for weeks, until news swept the school of Lydia and Jackson breaking up. Lydia and Allison joined their group for lunch, their backs to the table of raucous jocks where Jackson sat and revelled in the attention. Stiles had his own ideas for getting his own back on Jackson for Lydia’s unhappiness but the girls got their own back in first.

 

Not two days after the news had broken around the school Jackson had walked into lunch cradling his arm against his chest and covering up a limp. Allison and Kira high fived, and despite them sharing looks with everyone else on the table Lydia kept her eyes on the table as she picked at her salad and refused to look at him.

 

“What are you laughing at?” Stiles heard Jackson say as did most everyone else. He looked up to see Jackson had snapped at Malia Tate who slowly put down her food tray and turned back to him. Stiles didn’t hear what was said next but in seconds Malia had shove Jackson back against the counter and with a twist of his arm as he flailed Malia had him pinned to the floor. A cheer went up around the canteen but when Malia looked up her eyes went straight to Lydia.

“You want a go?” She mouthed. Lydia shook her head and held up a hand.

“Just done my nails,” She said and waved her fingers to show off the bright red varnish.

“Huh, fair enough,” Malia shrugged and dug her knee into Jackson’s back who cried out..

“Malia Tate! Principal's office now!”

“Yes Miss Patrick,” Malia smiled sweetly at her and strutted out of the cafeteria. Erica jumped up from her seat and followed her. Jackson who was just sitting up let out a shriek of pain as Erica stepped on his hand.

“Oops,” She apologised insincerely her hand over her mouth dramatically before flouncing off in Malia’s tracks.

 

“It’s a shame Cora missed that. She would have liked a go,” Stiles said to Scott as he pulled his afternoons books out of his locker

“She wouldn’t wait until someone was down to kick them where it hurts,” Stiles glanced up to find Derek had stepped up beside him.

“She did once hit me for thinking too loudly,” Stiles said and glanced to Scott who couldn’t keep his eyes from darting between Derek and Stiles. “Something we can help you with?”

“Cora said you had her notes, she’s off today but she needs them back for the essay due tomorrow,”

“I thought she was coming over to study so I left them at home, I can run them up after school,”

“Or I could just come with you and get them, after school,”

“And what? Run home,”

“It’s no further than I’d walk anyway,”

“Fine dude whatever, I’ve got chem last so I’ll meet you out by my jeep okay? It’s the sky blue,”

“I know which one is yours,” Derek said curtly and turned on the spot and headed back down the corridor.

“Oh alright then,”

“You didn’t tell me you were speaking to him now,” Scott hissed as Stiles watched Derek’s backpack disappear round a corner.

“I didn’t know I was,”

 

“First step on your ten year plan right?”

“That was my Lydia plan,” Stiles said. He elbowed his locker shut and heaved his bag up on his shoulder, “I was never going to be on Derek’s radar,”

 

Chemistry would have been an easy interlude before a tension filled journey home, but with Harris teaching, Stiles couldn’t catch a break. The last bell went and Stiles was finishing the sentence when Harris called his name.

“Stilinski, you’ll stay and tidy up everyone’s apparatus after class,” Harris said

“What!”

“No buts,” Harris said as he pulled on his jacket and followed the first few students out into the corridor.

Stiles sank into his seat and Allison patted him consolingly on the back. “I’ll stay and help you, dad’s going to be late anyway,”

 

Stiles cut out of the back door of the school fifteen minutes after the end bell. As they cleared down he’d elaborated on the possibility of Harris opening that storage cabinet and the whole lot falling out on top of him. Stiles would no doubt earn another punishment for not having packed the equipment away neatly enough.

As Stiles reached the back of the parking lot he was greeted with the sight of Derek leaning up against his car; his bag was at his feet, his jacket over his arm and his foot kicked up behind him as he leant back on the the jeep.

“You’re such a jock,” Stiles said in greeting as he slowed down approaching one of the only vehicles left on the lot.

“What?” Derek looked up from his phone.

“Get your foot off my car,” Stiles said and waved a hand

“I’m not a jock,” Derek said, his eyes on the floor, “You’re late,”

“Really, I had no idea,” He said jumping up into his seat and throwing his bag in the back.”What gave it away?” Derek followed his lead as shoved his bag and jacket onto the backseat. “Was it the fact that the entire carpark is empty or that I’ve not had a chance to stop the bleeding on my hand because I had to pack up _everyone’s_ equipment in chem because Harris is an asshole,” Stiles said. He shoved the key in the starter and waited for Derek to sort his belt before he leaned across to grab cloth from the glove compartment. Derek glanced up and caught his eye with a bemused look.

 

“Harris is an asshole to everyone,” Derek said as he shut the glove compartment for him, “And for the record you’re more of a jock than I am. You’re on the lacrosse team,”

“So,” Stiles asked. He wrapped the cloth as best he could against the cut to his palm and clenched it in his fist and he tried to decide whether it would be in the way of him driving.

“Lacrosse is much more of a jock sport than being on the swim team,” Derek said.

“I’ve been a benchwarmer for two years, You have a letterman jacket,”

“You have a lacrosse jersey. At least people come to watch your games, even practice attracts more groupies than any swimming competition,” Derek said and Stiles huffed.

“Yeah, the way you look attracts groupies,” Stiles muttered in retaliation as he twisted in his seat and leant back as he reversed out of the space.

“You’re an idiot,”

“If you didn’t have Cora there glaring them down you’d never keep all this up,” Stiles said and gestured towards Derek as he shifted gear and pulled away, “She’s the scariest guard dog slash bodyguard you could find. And she does it because she hates it when they do it to her too,”

“Cora has groupies too?” Derek asked.

“Your sister is hot too yes, your parent’s genes were successful and unsurprisingly your sister finds them intolerable,”

“What do they do to her?”

“Stare at her tits and ass mostly. You’re in highschool how have you missed this?”

“You’re telling me that my _sister_ is being harassed on a regular basis,”

“Don’t worry dude she kicks ass,”

“She shouldn’t have to,”

“Well what are you going to do? Threaten every guy and girl in the school?”

“That wouldn’t work?”

“Are you…” Stiles shot Derek a look, he stared back incredulously “You’re kidding right? You’ve got to be kidding, would you smirk or something to show me you’re kidding,” at the next glance Derek smirked. “Fucker,” Stiles muttered under his breath.

“You don’t stare at my sister, do you?”

“Pretty sure she’d sucker punch me if I did,”

“So who do you stare at?” Derek asked.

“Well Lydia’s a goddess in the flesh but y’know I don’t think I’d actually be too picky if anyone was interested in _me_ back,”

“Lydia probably doesn’t even know your name. She treats everyone like the dirt on her shoe,” Derek sneered

“Hey, so do you,” Stiles snapped back at him.

“I…” Derek started but Stiles cut him off.

“You don’t get to talk trash on someone you don’t know or care about. It’s not fair, and it makes _you_ a dick,”

Derek sank into the seat and didn’t say another word for the rest of the journey. Stiles inwardly cursed his existence.

 

 

When they got to the house Derek followed in behind him glancing around but looking entirely bored. Stiles would have sworn he heard him sniff. Their home was cluttered and more often than not a mess, but derision was uncalled for..

“So where’s your mum anyway?” Derek called up to Stiles as he looked around the family photos in the living room. Stiles’ breath caught in his throat as he dug through the paperwork on his desk. He pulled out the file stuffed his own notes inside and headed back down the stairs to where Derek was waiting at the bottom.

“She died. Look there’s Cora’s notes, and my notes for the lessons she’s missed,”

“Thanks,” Derek said as he took the notes, “Look, I’m sorry,”

“Hope the notes are useful, I’ve really got to start dinner for my Dad soon so…”

“O-Okay, bye then,”

 

 

Holly’s due date would be in around three weeks so Stiles had headed into town to get the perfect onesie as a gift from him and his dad. With too many to choose from he’d ended up with three, one for when the baby had grown well past the six month mark. He’d rolled them up in the bag and stuffed them into his rucksack when he looked up and scanned his eyes around the shopping centre. If he carried on walking round he was bound to buy something else on impulse. From here out to his car there was a coffee shop he could stop at and with his hands preoccupied with a coffee and food he might make it back home without money still in his wallet.

His eyes darted across each shop window display, and despite repeating his intention to head straight to the coffee shop and then home he still found himself drawn over to several displays. He looked up and a movement caught his eye down a service corridor and he took another step forwards.

Two people were crowded up against the wall and though Stiles was about to turn away they pulled from one another for a moment Stiles realised he knew one of them.

“Oh my God, really?” Stiles said under his breath. Derek’s eyes shot up to him and the woman with him followed his gaze. She looked vaguely familiar but Stiles barely gave himself time to think before he took a step back and turned back determinedly.

“Nope. I never saw that,” Stiles told himself and headed straight out, bypassing the coffee shop and to his car. He sat in the driver’s seat, phone in hand wanting to text Scott. He didn’t. He didn’t text Cora either.

 

 

Stiles had caught Derek’s eyes on him exactly three times over the next two days. He kept his head down and his mouth shut.

He needed a distraction so when his dad mentioned that they had been more evidence of a supposed wolf attack up in the woods, Stiles grabbed Scott and headed up into the woods to investigate for himself. There were no wolves in California, and if there were, there’d be evidence of wolves, not ambiguous bloody attacks which could just as easily be a mountain lion as could the blurred sightings from drunk drivers.

Scott had protested a little but when Stiles had promised to cover for him when he went to see Kira, there was no better bargaining took that a best friend could offer.

“What are you trying to find as evidence anyway?” Scott asked.

“The guy who said he was attacked had a tear wound, not a bite mark,” Stiles said. He words were met with a blank stare from Scott.

“So?” Scott asked

“So he might as well have fallen down a steep hill and got his side ripped out by a sharp branch,” Stiles explained, “Don’t you want to prove there’s not wolves up here?”

“How do you prove something isn’t there?” Scott asked and frowned and Stiles ushered him along the path, “You can’t find proof that something doesn’t exist,”

“We can find something that proves something else is,” Stiles said. In truth he didn’t know where to start but two pairs of eyes were better than one.

“Whoa, what was that?” Scott asked. He stopped sharp and Stiles ploughed into his back.

“What?” Stiles asked.

“Something just shot behind that bush up ahead,” Scott pointed up ahead but Stiles couldn’t figure out which bush hid the supposed threat.

“How big?” Stiles asked

“Big enough that we should back away slowly,” Scott suggested

“Hey, no. we should go in opposite directions. It can’t chase both of us so if we circle around,”

“Why am I listening to you?” Scott asked but his attempts to retreat had stalled and he knew it.

“Thirty steps out and then we circle round. Stay in sight,”

“Right,” Scott said and nodded once.

 

Not two minutes later Stiles had lost sight of Scott, though for better or worse there was no man-eating creature behind the bush where Scott had seen movement. That could have meant that the two of them were looking at entirely different bushes, or that the animal had moved when both of them had taken their eye off it.

“Scott? Scott you there?” Stiles called out but there was no reply. He called again and then started walking to where Scott should have looped round to his position. He took out his phone to call him and cursed the fact that it was showing no bars of signal. He tried to find where they’d been stood before to get whatever signal Scott had picked up fro his call from Kira and only succeeded in looking around and not knowing on bush or tree from another.

There was no discernable path and the trees not a hundred yards from him in any direction seemed closer and darker than they had when he’d had Scott at his side.

He called out for Scott again and when no reply came he picked a direction and started walking. Either he’d find a road, something he recognised, or a person. If luck was in his favour he’d find Scott and his jeep; He could go back to tracking new reports of wolf via his computer rather than risk almost get eaten by whatever was lurking out there.

Something rustled the leaves behind him and when he turned there was nothing there. He turned back with his eyes in the direction he wanted to head in and heard a noise behind him again.

“There’s nothing behind me. There’s nothing behind me,” He repeated until he hoped he would convince himself. A gust of wind rushed through the trees and carried on it what sounded like a low growl. Stiles quickened his pace and the first tree he came across that looked like it had sturdy enough branches he climbed up to wait out whatever was tracking him.

Stiles waited and would have sworn he could feel something circling his position. He couldn’t see much beyond the circle beneath the tree he’d climbed. The rustles of the leaves sounded like the steady tread of a large animal.

“Five minutes,” Stiles told himself, “If I wait five minutes and then climb down slowly then I can carry on,”

Five minutes passes and Stiles swallowed the lump of anxiety in his throat and shifted to lower himself down the the next branch. The branch snapped and Stiles quickly pulled himself back up onto the branch he was sitting on.

“Oh my god,” Stiles shut his eyes tight and caught his breath as his heart struck up a rhythm too fast to count.

“What are you doing up a tree?” someone asked and Stiles’ eyes shot open and he carefully leant over the branch to look down.

“Derek?”

“Hi,”

 

“Hello!” Stiles called back, “Derek, oh thank god!” Stiles said and let out a breath of relief, “I won’t die alone up a tree in the middle of nowhere,”

“ _Why_ are you up there?” Derek asked. He peered up at Stiles and frowned.

“There was a cat up here, and I uh, wanted to help it down,” Stiles said. The second he spoke, the lie felt entirely implausible.

“I don’t see any cat,” Derek said.

“It uh jumped down,” Stiles suggested

“Really,” Derek asked incredulously. He crossed his arms

“Would you please just help me get down!”

“I’m not sure I can. You’re a fair way up y’know,”

“Yes I know, I tried getting down but the branch snapped and-,”

“Jump,” Derek said and Stiles had to pause to consider Derek had actually just asked him to jump down from a twenty foot high tree branch.

“Ha ha, You’re a funny guy,”

“What do you expect me to do?”

“Help me!” Derek raised an eyebrow “Please, Jesus I can’t stay up here for the rest of my life,”

“Would keep you out of everyone’s way,” Derek called back up to him. Stiles groaned though it came out as more of a whine as he leant his forehead against the trunk of the tree

“Fine! Don’t help me,” He called down stubbornly and muttered “Asshole,” under his breath he hoped Derek felt if he didn’t hear it. Stiles shifted uncomfortably, edging his way to try and reach for another branch. Down below he could feel Derek watching as he put more and more weight on it.

 

“Stiles no!” Derek shouted. Stiles panicked, retracted his outstretched limbs in an instant and scrambled to wrap his arms around the tree trunk nearest to his original branch.

“Oh my god! What?”

“Should I come up and get you?” Derek called up calmly after a moment.

“And risk getting stuck up here with me. No. Bad idea,”

“I’d sooner fall and break my neck than sit up there listening to you prattle on,”

“I do not prattle!” Stiles protested and Derek’s laugh only made him more irritated, “I. am in. DISTRESS,”

“You climbed up a tree,”

“To get a cat,” Stiles insisted.

“That’s a lie,”

“It is not,”

“It is,” Derek replied surely.

“So what if maybe I climbed up here for another totally plausible reason,”

“I don’t want to know,” Derek said as he swung himself up onto the nearest branch and was soon on a branch just below the one Stiles was clinging to. “Drop down to that branch there and I’ll swing you to a branch that’ll take your weight,” He suggested and stiles glanced down at him skeptically.

“This is such a bad idea,” He whined shuffling forwards to lessen the distance. Just as he was about to lower himself down to the next branch Stiles snapped his head up to look back at him, “Did you just call me fat?”

“I’m calling you stupid,” Derek said and gestured for Stiles to get on with moving to the lower branch.

“I’m smart! Just slightly impulsive. Sometimes,” He returned to judging the distance between himself and the branch Derek had told him to reach for.

“Admitting that as a fault?” Derek asked, bemusement in his voice.

“No, just acknowledging,” Stiles snapped back. Derek huffed out a laugh and Stiles jerked round to say something else and just as he did, overbalanced. Stiles began to fall and before he had time to call out Derek yanked Stiles back.

At the sound of another crack Stiles yelled and reached for and branch he could to steady them both. They were both falling, unco-ordinated and at speed through several metres of branches. Derek’s arm wrapped tight around Stiles’ waist and when they both hit the ground hard he cried out and Derek groaned. He’d landed on top of Derek and was perhaps he’d been saved from the worst of the possible injuries.

“Stiles,” Derek muttered, and Stiles could only groan in reply, “Stiles!”

“Yeah,” He moaned,

“Are you okay?”

“I’m just gonna lie here and contemplate life okay,” Stiles said, his voice muffled and he dropped his head back against Derek as he mentally catalogued everything that hurt.

“Could you do that not on my ribs?”

“Oh shit yeah,” He rolled off and kneeled over Derek, “Are you okay?” He asked. Derek lay back, his face looked strained and a little flushed and he looked back up at him.

“‘M just gonna lie here and contemplate life,”

“Got it,” Stiles said and nodded. “Good plan,” He shifted round and flopped onto his back lying next to Derek on the mossy and ferns they’d landed on. “Take a breather, I can totally get that,” Stiles was muttering to himself.

“You’re not hurt are you?” Derek asked tentatively.

“My wrist could probably do with some ice on it but I’m good,” Stiles said and raised his head to look across at Derek, “Please tell me you haven’t like broken your back or your neck or something,”

“You’ve done more damage to the tree than you have me,” Derek said and slowly lifted one hand to gesture up at their crash path.

“Hey! Your fat arse hit them first. I totally followed in your wake,” Stiles looked up at the tree which was now significantly lopsided towards the bottom where they’d hit the young growth and it had snapped under their force and combined weight.

“And landed on me,”

“Exactly,” Stiles says

“Then your fat arse broke me,”

“My ass is a gift I’ll have you know,”

 

“Oh I do not want to know,” Cora’s voice came from somewhere behind them and cut through their conversation like ice. Stiles suddenly remembered how he actually felt about Derek.

He pushed himself up and stuttered through an explanation that was met with an unimpressed stare.Beside him he saw Derek throw his arm over his eyes. Cora waved off his explanation and circled over to Derek where she crouch down and prodded him in the side.

“Ow,”

“You okay?” She asked resting a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, nothing lasting,” He muttered back, and then added, “Your friend’s an idiot,” loud enough for Stiles to hear.

“Hey,” Stiles shouted out an objection and both Derek and Cora looked up.

“You already knew that,” Cora told him and he half heartedly shrugged and pushed himself up to his feet with her hand steadying his balance. Cora gave him the once over and after what could have been a whole conversation in eyebrows and expressions she turned back to Stiles.

“Scott said you were tried to wrangle a mountain lion,” She said as she hooked Stiles by his elbow and dragged him back through the preserve. Derek followed then a few paces behind

“I may have been looking for something that was not a wolf,”

“Look there’s a tree, that’s not a wolf. Oh and there’s a bird, that’s not a wolf,” Cora said. From behind them Derek snorted.

“You know that’s not-,”

“I think what Cora’s trying to say is you are not prepared for whatever you find out there on your own,”

“You were out there,” Stiles said, “You were both out there,”

“We live out here, we know what to expect,”

“And there’s your jeep. Do you want Derek to check it for claw marks? I’m sure if he leaves his scent on it it’ll scare off every wolf in the country,”

“I’m good thanks,”

Stiles unhooked his arm from Cora’s and jogged over to the car. A scrap of paper was shoved under the windscreen wiper.

_Gone to Kira’s. Called Cora for your backup. - sorry IOU_

“He owes you? You both owe me. No-one knows the preserve like me,”

“Knows how to walk backwards into a ravine,” Derek muttered.

“Shut up,” Cora snapped but her tone wasn’t malicious, “Okay how’re your reactions?” She asked and snapped her fingers in front of Stiles’ face.

“I’m okay. I’ll take it slowly. If anyone’s got a concussion it’ll be him,” Stiles said and waved a hand towards Derek who was leant against a tree at the edge of the track.

“You’re welcome,” Derek said and rolled his eyes.

Cora stepped back and Stiles waved as he pulled out and headed back into town. In his rear-view mirror he saw Cora and Derek walk back into the preserve side by side.

 

The next time Stiles found his way up on the the preserve at least he had an excuse to be there. Coach had wanted them all fighting fit for the next lacrosse game which for Stiles, meant facing his least favourite exercise, running. He had to be fit enough to keep up with Scott, and he figured if he did a couple of trial runs round the preserve he could work out where he could pull back and when he would actually have to admit defeat and walk.

He must have been jogging for ten minutes before he picked up the pace as he headed down a small hill and cut around the path surrounding a ravine. A dark shape up ahead caught his attention.

“Please don’t be anything that wants to eat me…” Stiles said as he tried to convince himself his eyes were just playing tricks on him. As he neared the shape he slowed and realised it was someone curled in on themselves, leaning up against a tree at the side of the path.

“Uh, hey. You alright?” Stiles called out and the person startled and when the looked up their hood fell away and Derek looked up at him. He face was pale and his breathing was double Stiles’s.

Stiles stepped up to him and crouched down. Derek only glanced up at him briefly before he stared back down at his hands as he clenched and unclenched his fists. He daren’t reach out in case that would freak Derek out any more.

“Hey man, breath. Focus on that okay, just in and out, I’ll count to four and when you’re ready you can tell me to shut up,” Stiles said and started counting up, “In. One, two, three, four, Out,” a couple of minutes late Derek looked up at Stiles, his breathing steadied and his hands more relaxed. “You’re okay,” Stiles said and hazarded a smile. Derek looked back down.

“I figure you don’t want to talk about it,” Stiles asked after a minute or so had passed.

“Not really,” Derek said just as his phone started vibrating loudly. He pulled it from his pocket and stared at it. His face paled again and his hand shook.

“Can I just-?” He pulled the phone from Derek's fragile grip and glanced at the name.

“It’s a Kate calling you,” He saw Derek’s breathing pick up at the name “I’ll just hang up,” He flipped the phone off and offered it back. “Should I call Cora? Get someone to come get you?”

Derek didn’t reply but his hands returned to fists resting on top of his knees.

 

“Has Cora ever told you about my panic attacks?” Stiles asked. Derek shook his head. “I used to get them a lot after my mom died, still do sometimes. It takes a while to get your bearings after tipping over that edge,” Stiles said “Sugar sometimes helps you get your head straight again. I don’t have anything on me, but there’ll be something in my jeep. It’s about twenty minutes that way,” Stiles said, “You want to see if walking it off does any good?”

“Yeah,” Derek said and pushed himself up to his feet. He steadied himself on the trunk and Stiles stood and they started back up the track.

 

“How’s the swimming going then?”

“I dropped off the team,”

“Huh, why?” Derek shrank back a little and stared at his feet. “Nevermind. You were really good though. I heard your Coach saying you could have gotten a scholarship out of it,”

“I wasn’t that good,”

“You were awesome man,” Stiles said, “Like the reason why half the supporters turned up for the competitions.

“What would you know,” Derek snapped. Stiles held his hands up in surrender.

“I almost dropped out of Lacrosse this year. Coach had a fit when I turned up at tryouts to support Scott but not to actually play. I thought he was going to blow a fuse. Scott got me some spare kit and then Coach acted like it had never happened. We’re getting pretty good this year; Scott’s got a protégé,”

“Liam,” Derek said, “The guy has anger issues,”

“Yeah man I know, but jocks playing harsh pranks on him at his previous school probably didn’t help,” Stiles said “Who would know bullying would have such crappy results. Doesn’t matter now, it’s in the past. Scott makes him all zen and calm; it’s weird,”

“It’s not that weird,” Derek said as he scuffed his foot on a tree root. “You make people calm,”

“I’m sorry have we met?” Stiles turned and skipped ahead a couple of steps to face Derek and stuck his hand out, “Stiles Stilinski, my ADHD and criminal streak are my best qualities,” Derek smiled before taking it.

“Derek Hale, I’ve been told my best qualities are my judgemental eyebrows,” He said as they shook hands.

“I might have been the one to start that,” Stiles said sheepishly as he dropped back into step with Derek.

 

“Kate wanted me to do stuff with them, wax them,” Derek said as he looked down to the floor.

“I have it on good authority Jackson waxes his eyebrows, one day I will have photographic proof,”

“She wanted me to do things to change…who I am. I didn’t want to and she’s gone off on one. Shouting and saying I didn’t care about her.” Derek said. “Tonight, we were going to do…” Derek didn’t finish his sentence but Stiles could as well as guess. “I was supposed to be home earlier so she got me to phone home, tell mom I was at a friend’s. Laura answered the phone so I told her. I think she knew I was lying but I hung up. Kate was doing things to me, said it made things between us better. I just. It didn’t feel better. I just felt sick in my stomach but she didn’t stop. I, she got me off and I couldn’t stop shaking. She called me pathetic, said I wasn’t a man because I couldn’t grow up and deal,”

“Hey, You’re worth more than that. She should have stopped when you weren’t comfortable,”

“But I should have been. I should have liked it! Anyone else-,”

“There is no should Derek. If it leaves you like this it’s probably a should _not_ ,”

“How would you know, you’re a nobody,”

“I’m a nobody you trust enough to-,” Stiles started and stopped himself when Derek suddenly jerked up and stared wide eyed at him, “I’m not going to use that against you,” Stiles said and he tried to reassure him.

“You can’t, it’s not… no one would believe you, I,” Derek started and rounded back on him.

“I’m not going to.” Stiles said, his hands up. Derek didn’t back down or turn back to where they were walking but he turned his face away.

“I don’t know what you will do,” He said, his voice strained, “We’re not friends,”

“No? Fine, reckon an acquaintance drive you home? I don’t really want to leave you out here,”

“Thanks,”

When they reached the jeep Stiles pulled a couple of chocolate bars from a bag in the back and threw each over to Derek in turn. As Derek ate in silence Stiles cooed over the jeep as she grumbled to life

 

“Why were you out there?” Derek asked as they pulled onto the track that led up to the house in the preserve. He hadn’t said a word for the twenty minutes they’d been driving on the way.

“Attempting to improve my track time,” Stiles said and shrugged one shoulder. “Coach has decided i’m slacking too much for someone who spends eighty percent of the time on the bench.

“You won’t tell anyone?” Derek asked

“No, I won’t. I think you should. I think you should tell your parents and the police, even a counsellor, since she seems like a real piece of work who’s screwed you over, but in your own time. Because right now you still need to get your head straight,” Stiles told him gesturing with one hand to his own head, “I promise you sugar and chocolate will help with that,”

“Thanks,” Derek said. He turned to open the door of the car when Stiles shot out a hand and caught his arm.

“And uh, for the record. I thought we might be friends, at uh, some point,”

Derek nodded and climbed out of the car. Stiles waited until he saw him head inside and then headed home. He could do with some chocolate himself. Coach would just have to live with the idea that Stiles was never going to be any faster, not even than Greenberg. Stiles could live with that.

 

Stiles glanced across the cafeteria and out of the window to where Derek sat alone on one of the benches. He hadn’t turned a page of his book in five minutes and had deliberately ignored the shouts from his friends on the basketball court.

“ _You’re_ worried about him,” Scott said and Stiles jumped as his elbow dug into his side.

“I’m not. I’m barely concerned,” Stiles said though as soon as he’d dragged his eyes away he felt them drawn back to Derek, “I’ve just noticed, ‘s all,”

“Oh yeah?” Cora asked

“Yeah,” He said and levelled a look her way that he hoped was convincing, “So is something wrong?” He asked.

“He’s just being weird. Started refusing to come down for dinner with everyone. He’s been talking to Uncle Peter. Why do you care?,”

“Who says I do?” Stiles said. Cora returned an unimpressed look.

“Go talk to him. Or at him. He probably won’t talk back,” She asked and turned to get Boyd’s attention.

“So are you going to?” Scott asked, “You pretty much just got Cora’s blessing,” his voice was hushed though Stiles noticed Lydia’s attention drift back to them briefly. Stiles caught her eyes and she seemed to look through him and back to Allison and Erica

“I’ll be right back,” Stiles said and grabbed for his bag under the table. “Do you need a lift tonight?”

“Nah, Isaac said he and Kira want to get in some more lacrosse practice,” Scott said and glanced back across the room, “Liam will probably want to stick around too,”

“Don’t forget the english reading,”

“Allison already grabbed the notes,”

“Send them to me,” Stiles said as he heaved the bag up on his shoulder, dropped a hand to Scott’s shoulder and started out towards the doors.

Derek didn’t look up as Stiles wove through the benches towards him, though he look to take a deep breath as Stiles took the last few steps to stand across the bench from him.

“Derek,” Stiles said. Derek looked up from his book slowly, “Hey,”

Derek didn’t say anything and Stiles cocked his head and after a moment took dropped down onto the seat opposite.

“So I was thinking,”

“Bad idea,”

“Rude. I was thinking that you should start sitting with us because you look like a total sad sack out here by yourself,”

 

“I’ll pass,”

 

“So... Word is I’m competing with Lydia and Danny for top grades and I know there’s a bet going, about which of us is going to come out top. I’d put money on Lydia myself, but Scotty’ll be betting on me and I can’t let my bro down,”

“Maybe I’m going to beat you all,” Derek said, he glanced up as he spoke and then returned to his book but Stiles would put money on him not actually reading.

“Honestly I think as much as I want to win, I’d enjoy being beaten by any of you, y’know,”

“Overshare,” Derek said and smirked.

“Shut up,”

“I could tutor you if you want,” Derke suggested and Stiles noticed his grip tighten on the book in his hands.

“I’m not sure me getting tutored is actually much good, but thanks. My ways of learning are all over the place and I swap every twenty minutes so I can concentrate. It’d take a madman to keep up with me on a good day,”

“The offer stands, even lacrosse. I haven’t played in years but I could help you work out,”

“Yeah, that -,” He was cut out by the bell sounding the end of lunch. All around them people started moving back towards the building and their next class. Stiles and Derek both stood, Derek turned first to leave and Stiles grabbed for his arm. Derek turned back sharply and glanced between Stiles and the grip on his arm. Stiles released his hold and pulled back.

 

“Actually a, uh, a few of us are sticking around after school for some extra lacrosse practice,” He said and waved one hand absently in the direction of the pitch “You want to join us,”

“I’ll have to call home first. I can’t get home without catching a lift with Laura,”

“I can run you home if you wanted,”

“Maybe,” Derek said. He only hesitated a moment longer before leaving and Stiles was left stood by an empty bench.

“Alright, I should go. Good talk,”

 

Stiles was surprised to see Derek at practice that night. Not that he was practicing with them, but Stiles saw him twice over by the school building long after everyone else had left.

 

Stiles even made the excuse of needing to toilet after half an hour but by the time he’d crossed the pitch and reached the school he couldn’t figure where Derek would have gone.

It wasn’t until the end of practice when Stiles was throwing his lacrosse stick into the back of his car that someone appeared just behind him. A dark shadow over his shoulder that startled him as he turned round to back away.

“Oh for the love of-” Stiles said and glared up at Derek. “Why do you do that?”

“You sought me out when I was minding my own business,”

“I was trying to be nice,”

“So am I,”

“If you could hear my heart racing from you creeping up on me you’d know i’ve just aged like ten years,”

“Your heart races all the time,”

“Which surely denotes a highly stressful environment,” Stiles said, “That’s right. I listen in biology,”

“You want to blow off some steam?” Derek asked. Stiles looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “I’m talking about a run, running is good stress relief right?” Derek asked, “I understand if you think you couldn’t keep up with me,”

“Wow, full of yourself much,” Stiles asked, “You realise I’ve just been exercising,”

“You were in goal and Scott, Kira and Isaac were practically flirting over passing each other the ball,”

“You were invited to join in,” Stiles said but as Derek caught his eye he figured he’d just have to pay for the overexertion the next day.“Come on then,” Stiles said, “Jump in we’ll head up to the preserve for a run. They’ll lock my car in if it stays in the lot past six,” Stiles told him, “Tell you what I could really do with some curly fries before we start though,”

 

Despite Derek’s claims they appeared to be pretty evenly matched. Derek seemed to tire at the same speed as Stiles, though he could have been matching Stiles’ pace out of sympathy for him. The whole time Stiles was waiting for cramps to kick in.

 

As they reached a peak in the middle of the preserve Derek slowed down and motioned for Stiles to follow him off the track. Stiles followed him and the undergrowth opened out into a grotto, wildflowers grew up to knee height.

“I think my Mom showed me somewhere similar years ago,”

“Not many people can find these sorts of clearings when they come up here. ‘Specially if they don’t come off the track,” Derek said as he stepped back from Stiles’ side and back towards the track.

 

They set off again.

Stiles didn’t even realise they were closing in on such a huge mansion until they cleared the trees and it stood before them. A huge new england style house that looked like it had been plucked out of its neighbourhood and dropped down into a just big enough gap between the trees.

“Whoa dude are we supposed to be here?” Stiles asked as he slowed down behind Derek.

“It’s fine Stiles,” Derek insisted and he stepped forwards towards the house. Stiles followed and tried to avoid the muddiest patches hidden between fallen leaves

“The whole preserve is private property,” Stiles near fell to the mud as he rounded to come face to face with a man who appeared from around the side of the house.

 

“Oh my god, hey sorry man, we didn’t know I-,”

“Hale private property,” Derek said. Stiles eyes widened and he glanced back to Derek who was grinning at Stiles’ flailing. “Stiles, that’s my Dad,”

“Should have known with all the stupid freakin’ ninja stealth,”

“Maybe you’re just not very observant,” Derek suggested.

“I am _very_ observant,”

“I’m sure you are, son,” Mr Hale said and dropped a hand to Stiles’ shoulder as he passed. “Are you boys sticking around for an early dinner? The girls have headed out for dinner already,”

Derek caught Stiles’ eye behind his father’s back,

“You want to stay?” Derek asked.

“Yeah man, I’ll stay,”

“You boys go wash up, I’ll throw some stuff in the oven. Be down in thirty,”

“Yes Dad,” Derek called, “Come on, there’s an en suite off my room,”

“You have an en suite,” Stiles said incredulously and they headed inside and up the stairs.

“So?”

“Oh don’t get me started,” Stiles said and when he grinned Derek rolled his eyes and nodded to the next door on the landing

“Stiles,” Derek grumbled.

“I’m not sorry, you have it easy man,” Stiles said.

“You can wash up first,”

“You saying i smell worse?”

“No worse than usual,”

“Asshole,” Stiles said under his breath. As he turned to the bathroom he caught the tail end of Derek’s smile as he turned to open something on his desk.

“So did you lead us up here on purpose?” Stiles asked, “Cause I would not have expected in a thousand years that Derek Hale leads unassuming teenagers through the woods and to his bedroom,” Stiles said as he dried off his face and hands on a towel, “Like, it could be pretty key to your image if people knew. You could be all mysterious and..” He said as he stepped back into the bedroom.

Derek was bent over the desk, his hands tensed around the wood which was cracking under his grip. Stiles could see sweat dripping down his forehead and neck.

“You alright man?” Stiles stepped forwards reaching out a hand to Derek’s forearm to offer a little support. Derek’s other hand shot out clutching Stiles’ wrist tightly nails digging in hard and Stiles yelp in pain.

“Whoa hey not cool!” He tried to pull away and couldn’t, “Uh Derek?”

“I’m sorry, I- Stiles,” Derek said and his grip on Stiles’ wrist seemed to tighten and loosen a dozen times before Stiles could yank his arm away

“Derek you’re scaring me,” Derek looked up at him straight in the eye. But it didn’t look like Derek right now. “What the fuck oh my god” He scrambled backwards his arm free. He near tripped over his own feet as he backed away. Derek stalked forwards. Before Stiles knew it his back hit the wall and the bed on the other side of him had him cornered and trapped.

 

“Derek, I swear I haven't got a freakin clue what’s going on right now,” Stiles shrank into the corner further.

“Derek back down, NOW!” Mr Hale shouted from the bedroom door. Derek turned his head and a roar faded to a whimper and as Mr Hale caught Derek’s shoulder Derek seemed to crumple to the floor.

Stiles shut his eyes tight and tried to focus on controlling his breathing. Eventually his shakes stilled and when he opened his eyes he saw Mr Hale crouched beside Derek.

“Are you okay Stiles?” Mr Hale asked. Stiles nodded shakily but he couldn’t take his eyes off Derek..

“He’s just cooling off, he’s quite ashamed of his behaviour,”

“No, I-,” Stiles stepped forwards and reached for Derek.

“What happened?”

“I think I’ll let Derek explain,”

“There’s something on the desk. It triggered my shift,” Derek said, his voice muffled by his Dad’s shirt. His dad stood and Derek seemed to shrink into himself further. Stiles crouched down next to Derek and Derek shot him a wary look as Mr Hale stepped over to the desk.

“I know you’re scared. You don’t have to pretend you’re not,” Derek said.

“You seem pretty scared yourself,” Stiles said. Derek huffed and kept his eyes on the floor.

“Derek, why don’t you go and get cleaned up,”

“Yes Dad,” Derek said and pushed himself up. The door of the bathroom shut hard behind him and Stiles reluctantly pushed himself to his feet. At least on the floor it was more acceptable to feel small.

“Food’ll be ready downstairs if you can manage a few mouthfuls,” Mr Hale suggested and Stiles noticed him palming a small round object.

“I don’t know if,-”

“Maybe just ice cream then?” Mr Hale offered. Stiles hesitated but nodded.

 

Mr Hale asked him a few meaningless questions about school and his father in the kitchen before they both heard Derek’s footsteps down the stairs. Mr Hale passed him a heaped bowl of ice cream and suggested Stiles head on through to the living room. The TV was on but reeling through adverts for jewellery on a shopping channel. Derek was curled up on the sofa back against the arm of the chair and legs pulled in tight. His eyes were shut and his head leaning heavily on the back cushion. Stiles sat on the opposite end of the sofa, knees tucked under himself and watched Derek.

“Stop looking at me, it’s not going to happen again,” Derek said. His words were muffled against his knees.

“Yeah, but what did happen?” Stiles asked.

“I’m not supposed to tell you,”

“Your dad seemed to think you should explain,” Stiles said as he swallowed a large mouthful of ice cream and immediately regretted it. He winced but kept his eyes on Derek. Derek turned his head slightly as if listening for something before he turned back to Stiles.

“I’m a werewolf,” Derek said.

“And I’m the abominable snowman,”

“You’re not funny,”

“No really, i’ve got the brainfreeze and everything,” Stiles said as he massaged his forehead, “So, you’re a werewolf,”

“You don’t believe me,”

“You believe it. I believe it. Not like I can come up with another explanation. So I do believe you. Well, kind of. I might need to sleep to process it. I might be in shock, you saw me. It wasn’t pretty,”

“Eat your ice cream,” Derek snapped.

“Are you jealous of my ice cream?”

“I could just as easily take it from you,” Derek said obstinately. Stiles hunched in around it and glared back at him.

“No way, this is mine,”

Derek merely raised an eyebrow to which Stiles stuck out his tongue before refocusing on his dessert bowl.

“Are you scared of me now?”

“A little, well no you really freaked me out and it hasn’t really settled in yet,”

“But you’re okay?”

“You look like you’re feeling worse than me right now,” Stiles shifted to mirror Derek’s position and stretched out a foot to prod Derek’s in emphasis and then left it resting there. “I might freak out again, gimme time,” Stiles shrugged “But I want in on record that I only screamed when you looked like you were going to destroy face,”

“Would it have made much difference?” Derek asked.

“Hey, this is the money maker, right here. Its how Scott and I are going to survive the big city. He’s going to sweet talk old rich ladies in penthouses and I’m going to sell my body,”

 

 

 

“Stiles,” Mr Hale came to stand in the doorway, phone in his hand, “I called your Dad, he said he could pick you up on his way home,”

“What! Oh you shouldn’t have, I wouldn’t want him to worry,”

“I was vague enough with the details you can make something up. I thought you would prefer it to being in an enclosed space with either of us right now,”

“That’s not-”

“Stiles, not everyone comes face to face with a barely in control werewolf. Any questions you have, ask them. ” Stiles shot a glance to Derek who was looking guilty all over again.

“You probably think I’m a monster,” Derek scowled at the floor, “We’re not monsters,”.

“He hasn’t seen you before you’ve had breakfast in the morning,” His Dad called through from the kitchen.

“Dad!”

“Okay, I’m going. Shout if you need anything,”

“Hey, I’m not scared now,”

“Yeah?” Derek asked and held up his hand, the nails were easily and inch and a half longer than normal, sharp and tapered like claws. Stiles stared at them and tried to picture when he’d seen Derek’s normal nails, and how they could have changed. He glanced up at Derek.

“You’re not going to put these like, through my spleen, are you?”

“No,” Derek said and tucked his hand back into his lap, “Eat your ice cream,”

Stiles watched Derek for a moment and the leant forwards to set the bowl in the table. Derek looked glanced up at the noise of the spoon against the ceramic and then to Stiles who had shifted in his seat.

“Are you going to spend the whole evening moping?”

“No,”

“Oh yeah?” Stiles asked, “Come here,” Stiles opened his arms wide and waved Derek forwards.

“What?”

“Are you touch averse?”

“No,”

“Then come here,” Derek put his hands up to stop Stiles moving forwards but Stiles reached around to hug Derek and Derek’s protests dropped away immediately. Stiles wrapped his arms up around Derek’s shoulders and he felt Derek’s fingers cling to the back of his t-shirt. He half expected to hear the rip of the cotton as Derek’s extended nails tore through the fabric. All he heard was Derek’s uneven breaths.

“Your heart is racing again,” Derek said and Stiles felt Derek rest his forehead against Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles traced his thumbs up and down as he held Derek in the hug.

“It is not,” Stiles objected

“It is. I can hear it,” Derek said.

“This is so weird,” Stiles said as Derek pulled away, “It is going to be so hard not to ask you like every question about this,”

“My Mom can erase memories,” Derek said “You’re not supposed to know about us,”

“But like, if I asked your Mom for permission to know your family secret what’s the likelihood she’d say yes? Like on a rolling scale from wipe my memories by force or kill me on the spot, to give me the benefit of the doubt that i’m a trustworthy person,”

“I can keep a secret. My lips are sealed,”

“You talk all the time,” Derek said, “You never shut up,”

“I’m glad you’ve noticed,”

“I don’t know,” Derek said and shrugged, “but I’ll have to tell her what’s happened,” He paused and then waved one hand towards the door, “You dad is pulling into the drive,”

“Yeah, okay. Hey, if your mom doesn’t take my memories that’d mean you’d be stuck with me as you confidante,” He asked as he pushed himself up from the sofa.

“Are you sure you could handle that?” Derek asked and he did the same and nodded for Stiles to head out of the other door.

“Oh god no. But I’ll take the title,” Stiles said. He opened the door and held it for Derek behind him, “Confidante of Derek S. Hale,”

“You know my middle name?” Derek asked.

“No. but I did look you up in the school system when I was curious,”

“Why?” He asked as they reached for the front door and he reached for the lock.

“I wanted to know if you were held back a year for the same reason I was,”

“You’ve been held back?”

“ADHD, my friend,” Stiles said and bounce on his heel as he mock saluted back at Derek, “I’ll see you at school tomorrow then?”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow Stiles,”

“Come sit with us at lunch,” Stiles called back as he jogged across the drive to where his Dad was just opening the car door. Stiles did hear Derek’s response but he waved as his Dad pulled away.

“Anything I need to know about?” His dad asked as he pulled away from the house.

“Derek and I went for a run and I got cramps. Like really bad. I’ve told everyone how unfit I am but y’know,” Stiles said “I uh, should probably pick up the jeep,”

“I can drive you up to get it before school tomorrow. I’ve let Parrish know not to have it clamped or towed wherever you’ve left it,”

“It uh, has my school bag in it. Wallet, homework, keys,”

“I guess we’re going to get your jeep then,”

“Thanks Dad,” Stiles said, “It’s on the track about three miles past the crem,” His dad sighed and nodded.

“I fancy burgers tonight, and not the turkey burgers you bought the other week,” His Dad said, “Two burgers. Cheese, fried mushrooms, onions,”

“Home cooked burgers, grilled, with salad,” Stiles offered and his dad shot him a look and a smile.

“Deal,” He said, “Provided you’re cooking,”

 

Stiles was in the middle of an argument with Isaac the next day when everyone at the lunch table ignored him in favour of something just over his shoulder. Stiles looked up to see Derek glancing between him and the table.

“Can we help you?” Cora asked.

“Derek, take a seat. You can tell them all about how i’m right,”

“Doesn’t sound likely,” Derek muttered as the sat down next to Stiles.

“See. He doesn’t even know what you were saying but you were bound to be wrong,” Isaac said as he shared a look with Cora.

“Thank you, I did hear the sarcasm,” Stiles snapped at Isaac, “He probably just didn’t figure I was talking to you,”

“You’re both wrong,” Cora said from across the table.

“Shut up,” Stiles said and turned to Derek, “Who’s your favourite superhero?”

“Superman,”

“Okay, that’s a discussion for another time, but who would win out of Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne?”

“With out without their suits,” Derek asked.

“Either,”

“Stark with the suit, Bruce Wayne without,”

“Told you,” Stiles said and waved a hand between Derek and Isaac.

“Whatever,”

“All your male superheroes are crap anyway,” Cora said as she leant forwards to rejoin the conversation.

“If anyone else had ever heard of Moondragon we might like her a bit more,” Isaac said

“I shouldn’t have to teach you how to use google,” Cora snapped.

“Good to see you man, wasn’t sure if you’d actually join us or not,” Stiles said as Cora and Isaac’s bickering rose in volume.

“It’s raining. I couldn’t sit outside,”

“Well good, cause I had a question for you,”

“You can’t ask me here,”

“Why?”

“We’re in the middle of the cafeteria,”

“Yeah, and you’re the best person I know at history and Scottie and I are really stuck on this stupid assignment,”

“Oh,” Derek said.

“Hey!” Stiles yelled and grabbed for Cora’s thieving hand but missed and nearly knocked over Isaac’s drink.

 

“My brother doesn’t talk while he eats,” Cora said and held his muffin just out of reach.

“I won’t be able to either, gimme my muffin,” Stiles protested. She smirked and crushed it in her hand. Stiles gasped.

“You can have mine,” Derek said and dropped his onto Stiles’ tray, “I’m not hungry,”

“Thanks,” Stiles said and nudged Derek’s shoulder with his own, “Someone has been brought up properly,” He said pointedly at Cora who began eating the crushed pieces.

“We’re not related. We found her in the woods,” Derek said quietly to Stiles. A piece of Stiles’ muffin flew across the table and hit Derek’s chest.

“Mom and Dad got so fed up with you they had to have me. Restore their faith in humanity,”

“Funny.” Derek replied with a deadpan expression.

“This is going better than I expected,” Stiles said to Derek when Cora had turned to talk to Isaac.

“I had a question for you too,” Derek started and shot a wary look around the table.

“Yeah, shoot,” Stiles said and nudged Derek’s shoulder with his own.

“I was thinking about joining the swim team again but-,” Derek trailed off.

“What’s the hold up?”

“I kind of get...worked up,” Derek said as he stabbed aimlessly at his food. “Too competitive. They almost took me off the team when I first started because they found out about my temper issues,”

“We need someone to have a competitive streak,” Stiles insisted and scanned the room for a reason. When he found one he waved a hand it a general direction, “Jeffries has less competitive instinct than a limp -,”

“STILINSKI!” Harris snapped from just behind them and Stiles flinched.

“Uh yeah,”

“I don’t know what you were about to say...”

“Limp fish,” Stiles said quickly and glanced up at Harris stood behind him, “A well known phrase comparing someone to a limp fish,” Across the table Isaac snorted and Stiles caught Scott’s eye down the table.

“I don’t know where you’ve picked up this well known phrase, but I suggest you don’t use it in school time,” Harris said with a quick glance over to Isaac and then back to Stiles.

“Yes sir,” Stiles said nodded once and ducked his head as he turned back to the table.

“Limp fish?” Scott asked when Harris had circled back out of the cafeteria and out of hearing range.

“It was swimming related. I panicked,”

“Smooth,” Derek said and smiled into his food.

“Why’d you get into swimming in the first place?” Stiles asked as he picked at the muffin; the blueberries were too dry and got stuck in his throat so he picked each out and dropped them in a pile on his tray, “Like when you first started enjoying swimming,”

“We’ve got a beach house a few hours out. I started swimming there as a kid,”

“You enjoy it?”

“Yeah. when I don’t get..”

“All grrr,” Stiles said and gestured. Derek cast him an uneasy look and Stiles lowered his hands. “Competitive. I meant overly competitive,” Stiles insisted and Derek went back to his food.

“You should head out there over the break. A week of enjoying swimming again,”

“My parents are out of town for the first half of the week,”

“So we could drive down there. My plans included essays and waiting for Scott to wake up,”

“I heard that!”

“No one sleeps in as long as you do,” Stiles said. Scott rolled his eyes and muttered something to Kira as he shot a grin back across the table. “‘Sides you said you were working with Deaton ten hours a day all week,” Stiles said. Scott listened to something Kira said and mouthed ‘sorry’. Stiles waved off his apology.

“I wouldn’t be allowed to go up to the beach house on my own. If Laura agrees to it, we might be allowed. Someone has to stay at the house,”

“Peter will cover for us,” Cora said, “You want to come with us?” Cora asked as she elbowed Isaac in the side. He frowned and couldn’t meet any of their eyes.

“My dad wouldn’t let me go away for the whole week,” Isaac said. He ran his fingers up and down an empty bottle in front of him.

“Sorry man,” Stiles said, “We’ll send you a postcard,”

“No-one’s inviting you, Stilinski,” Cora snapped but before Stiles could reply Derek cut in.

“I am,” Derek said.

“Seriously,” Cora asked. Stiles looked between Derek and Cora, both of whom seemed to be staring the other down. Derek cocked his head and the turned his attention back to Stiles.

“If we’re allowed, do you want to come?” Derek asked.

“I’d want to drive down myself. If something happened to my dad I’d have to-,”

“Nothings going to happen if you leave town for a week,” Cora said

“You realise we live in Beacon Hills,” Stiles said.

“And,”

“One of the highest missing person rates in the country,”

“Then it’s a good thing everyone knows what your Dad looks like,”

“I’ll clear it with my parents,” Derek said and returned to picking at his food.

 

Stiles startled when he shut his locker door the next morning and Derek was stood behind it as if he’d been there two minutes previously.

 

“My parents have said we can go friday til monday, not a week.They do want me to take Laura and Cora with us, and asked if you wanted to invite anyone,”

“I’m good with just your family,” Stiles said, “I know Scott’s busy and it’s not like you want you beach house to turn into a frat house,”

“My sisters will be there, that’ll be bad enough,”

“Is Laura going to get us drunk?”

“Alcohol doesn’t really affect us,” Derek said and half shrugged,

 

“Alright Legolas,” Stiles said. He words were met with a frown, “Tolkien. Elves and drinking and…”

“We do start to feel ...something,” Derek said and held up his hand a moved his fingers slowly. He glanced up for a moment and Stiles’s smile pulled at his cheeks and a laugh burst from him.

 

“Laura and Cora will probably head into the nearest town anyway,” Derek said as Stiles’ laughter quelled.

“You and I have got to marathon Lord Of The Rings,”

“We’ve probably got the DVDs somewhere,”

“Looking forward to it man,” Stiles said and couldn’t hide his grin, “You got English now or…”

“History so...” Derek shrugged and nodded for Stiles to go ahead of him through the door.

“Going my way, awesome.” Stiles said. As Stiles explained his latest English project, and how he had reinterpreted the topic question, Derek fell into step beside him. When Stiles looked up Derek’s eyes shot away to the floor, his hands were around his backpack straps and he was smiling.

 

It felt strangely dreamlike when Stiles finally got on the road with Derek in the passenger seat and Laura and Cora in a car disappearing into the distance. Derek didn’t seem to mind that the jeep wasn’t a racer; it was never going to keep up with Laura’s Camaro. Derek also didn’t seem to mind Stiles’ choice of music. In three hours he never once commented on the track or leant forward to skip ahead.

“Hey how far is the nearest house?” Stiles asked as Derek waved him off at the first turning they’d come across in miles of a dusty track.

“Couple of miles” Derek said, “There might not be anyone there,”

“So no-one could here me scream,”

“What’d you be screaming about?” Derek asked as he reached to pull his bag from the back seat.

“I don’t know, one of your sisters trying to steal my virtue in the middle of the night?” Stiles suggested. He winced at every lump and dip the car rumbled over.

“You can lock your door from the inside. We will be sharing a connecting bathroom since they’ve called dibs on the nicest rooms,”

“Damn right we have!”Cora shouted and Stiles turned to look up the stairs. He flinched as something was hurled towards him. “Heads up!”

“You did insist on playing with werewolves,”

“Playing, no,” Stiles insisted, “You guys have no idea how grateful I am that your mom didn’t decide to do a mind wipe, y’know,”

“Actually Laura made that decision,” Cora said through a mouth of chips.

“Mom’s training her to be the next Alpha,” Derek said.

“Oh, uh thanks then,” Stiles said and nodded to Laura.

“There’s still time Stilinski,” Laura deadpanned, and then a smile pulled at the corner of her lips, “But you haven’t done us much harm yet,”

“What harm could anyone even do to you guys?” Stiles asked “Wouldn’t werewolves be like, indestructible or something?”

“Not compared to the number of things that want us dead,” Cora answered

“What?” Stiles asked.

“Magic, other creatures,” Cora replied through a mouthful of chips. She shrugged one shoulder.

“Hunters,” Derek muttered.

“Hunters?” Stiles asked as he turned back to Derek.

“Humans who want us dead, and have the right weapons at their disposal,” Laura added.

“Why?” Stiles asked again. He was starting to feel very out of his depth with all of this new information.

“To them we’re dangerous,” Laura said.

“Well, I’d believe it about Cora but-,” A sharp elbow elbow hit him in the gut and he yelped. As he backed away from Cora he felt a hand on his back which stopped him from going any further..

“We’re not monsters,” She snapped.

“I know. Sorry. Bad joke,” He put his hands up in defense and shot an apologetic look to Derek behind him.

“Your face is a bad joke,” Cora said and reached for the next bag of chips whilst still glaring him down..

“Cheery conversation. Who wants to head out on the beach already?” Laura asked. She grabbed the next pack of chips from Cora’s hands before she opened it and chucked it across the room.

 

“Hey Derek, Race you to the end of the beach,” Cora shoved Derek and he caught himself on a sand bank before pushing himself up and taking off after her, his first few leaps his hands pulled him along on the sandbank as though he could run on all fours just as easily as he could upright.

“Can you guys actually turn into wolves?” Stiles asked as the two disappeared over the sand banks, the scattered scraggly plants shifted in their wake.

“Laura can,” Cora’s voice carried on the wind back to them.

“Laura’s not going to,” She yelled back, “Give them a little longer to get out of hearing range,”

“Why’re you here Stiles?” Laura asked him.

“Uh, Derek invited me,” Stiles said, but wasn’t sure what exactly she was asking of him.

“I know that, but why are you here?”

“He’s seemed a little out of his depth lately, I’ve been there y’know,” Stiles said and shrugged, “Still pulling myself back from that edge. My mom…” Stiles trailed off.

“She died before you moved here,” Laura said.

“Yeah,” Stiles said and scuffed his foot in the sand.

“I trust you Stiles, I trust you with my brother and sister, and I trust them with you,”

“I’m grateful,” Stiles said and nodded.

“And our Mom wants you for dinner sometime too,” Laura said and an amused grin spread wickedly over her expression.

“Like _for_ dinner..” Stiles asked.

“Sat at the table, not cut up on the plates,” Laura said, “Unless that’s something you’d be interested in,”

“You’re joking right?” Stiles asked watched her with wide eyes. A good thirty seconds later she smirked and put her arm over his shoulders. “Oh my God. You’re all the same,”

 

Stiles woke up the next day, in a bed with thick covers and an ache in the back of his calves from walking for most of the previous afternoon. He pulled himself up out of bed without really pulling himself out of his tired haze as he headed for the bathroom.

“Stiles!”

“Oh my god!” He looked up and locked eyes with Derek stood in the shower. Nude tones through the steamed up shower door. cried out. Stiles startled waved his hands over his eyes and backed out of the room. He hit the doorframe on his way out and as he moved out of view of the shower his foot slipped on a discarded shoe and he fell hard into the chest of drawers. Stiles lay there for a moment to get his bearings when Derek stepped into the doorway, a towel around his waist. He rolled his eyes when he saw Stiles sprawled on the floor.

“You are such a klutz,” Derek said with a slight shake of his head.

“It is not my fault you’re standing around in your morning glory,” Stiles insisted but he didn’t feel obliged to cover his eyes.

“I was showering, and you didn’t notice,” Derek said plainly, laughter creases eased around his eyes as he looked down at Stiles.

“I was not entirely awake,”

“Well that was obvious,” Derek said.

“How are you not embarrassed?” Stiles asked as he tried to push himself up from his elbows to his knees and then upright.

“You’re more embarrassing than I could ever be,” Derek said and offered Stiles a hand up, “You’re an idiot,” He pulled Stiles up to his feet and steadied him as he regained his balance.

“And you’re a jock, with stupid abs and stupid clear headedness in the morning,” Stiles waved at Derek’s exposed chest without being able to draw his eyes away as quickly as was probably appropriate. He clenched his fist and looked up briefly before he determinedly stared at the carpet. “Uh, how was you swim this morning?”

“Really good,” Derek said and his smile grew.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Derek said and nodded with enthusiasm, “You haven’t eaten yet have you?” Derek asked. Stiles shook his head, “I’ll get dressed and start bacon. That’ll probably get Cora and Laura up too,”

Derek turned back and when the second bathroom door shut behind him Stiles sighed and wiped a hand down his face. The image of Derek’s bare chest and abs now burned into his mind’s eye.

Stiles didn’t actually start dressing until he heard Derek’s bedroom door open and his footsteps on the hallway heading down towards the kitchen.

Stiles slowed as he approached the kitchen and silently hoped that Derek had yet to put a shirt on, despite Stiles’s inability to look him in the eye if he had. He turned the corner and Derek had his back to him. Stiles bit his bottom lip as the mage of Derek’s bare chest being within touching distance.

“Grab some glasses and juice, breakfast will be ready in a minute,” Derek said without looking up.

“Right, got it. Which cupboard?”

“Over here,” Derek gestured to the cupboard to his right. Stiles crossed the room and as he reached up into the cupboard he felt Derke looking at him from the corner of his eye. He looked up when he set the glasses down on the counter. Derek watched him and the hint of a smile pulled at his lips.

“What? Have I got something on my face?”

“No,” Derek said and glanced back down briefly, “It’s nothing,”

“About this morning,”

“Forget about it, I should have locked the other door, assumed you’d hear me or the shower running,”

“If I was awake I might have done,”

“Did you hurt yourself when you fell?”

“Probably bruised my side or my bum or something,” Stiles said, “Only hurts when I do this,” He twisted and winced as he felt a tight pull in his side.

“Then don’t do that,” Derek said. He sighed and shook his head, “I can..” Derek reached out and slipped his hand under the edge of Stiles’ t-shirt at his side. The tension eased and the pain faded almost immediately; Stiles leant into the touch as the tension in all of his muscles eased.

“You’d better be making breakfast for all of us!” Laura shouted down the stairs and Stiles tensed and stepped back from Derek.

“Only if you’re down here in the next ten minutes,” Derek yelled back and then turned back to the frying pan, “This is ready and if we have ours before they come down we could have double,” Derek said as he lifted the crispy slices to a nearby plate with his fingertips.

“You’ve done this before,” Stiles said. Derek grinned and handed him the plate as he layers more bacon into the pan and upped the heat.

Stiles tucked into the bacon sandwich after covering it in ketchup.

“Mmm, can I keep you?”

“Only if you do the washing up,”

“Huh, fair trade off,”

“You started without us!”

“We were hungry,” Derek knocked Stiles’ foot under the table and shared a look and a smile.

“Ten minutes,”

“Anything could happen in ten minutes,” Derek said. Stiles took the largest bite his could manage out of the bacon sandwich to save from voicing how right that statement could be.

 

The weekend passed in a blur. There was no Lord of the Rings marathon but there was a barbeque on the beach and they spent a day in the local town getting food at every food cart they come across. Stiles wasn’t able to keep up with the Hales’ appetite but he was more than happy to act as an impartial judge and keep track of who had eaten the most.

Derek swam every morning and evening and after that first morning Stiles had joined him. He couldn’t keep up with the swimming either but when he got out of the water he wrapped himself up in extra layers and watched as Derek swam for another half hour without him.

Stiles enjoyed watching him move through the water. He enjoyed each time Derek ended his practice and made his way up out of the water. He’d stand and meet Derek half way to pass him the towel. He was sure that Derek knew he stared as he walked up the beach. He suspected that Derek watched him in return. Derek watched him when he talked for minutes on end about how cold it was, the ache in his muscles and how much he was looking forward to breakfast. The same topics over and over and yet every time it earned a subtle smile from Derek and a hand on his lower back the eased the ache of exercising muscle that were infrequently used.

By the time he’d packed his bag and triple checked he hadn’t left anything behind, Stiles had a twist in his gut that no amount of werewolf powers could ease. He’d miss whatever it was they’d fallen into. With Derek in the mind set to return to the swim team, he’d surely go back to sitting with the jocks and there’d be no reason for him to talk to Stiles. If that did happen maybe losing the memories would be for the best.

A faint knock on the door tore his attention up from his phone; the screen had gone to sleep in the time he’d been distracted by such trains of thought.

“You ready to go?” Derek asked, “The rest of us are all packed,”

“I always leave stuff behind,” Stiles said as he zipped up his bag, “I can check everything a hundred times over and still leave something behind,”

“If you have, we can always come back in a couple of weeks,” Derek said as he pushed away from the doorframe and crossed the room, “If you’d want to,” He shrugged and kept his eyes on Stiles’ bag.

“I knew you didn’t find all this as irritating as you make out,”

“You’re just as irritating as I make out,” Derek said He grabbed Stiles bag and turned to leave.

“Lies,” Stiles huffed as he followed him, “Lies and slander. Just for that I should make you ride back with your sisters,”

“I guess we’ll both have to suffer then, you’d probably get lost if you tried to get back on your own,” Derek said

“Rude,” Stiles said as he took out his keys and moved to get up into the jeep.

 

They stopped at a roadside cafe a couple of hours in when Cora rang Derek’s mobile to complain that they’d run out of snacks.

“We’re only about an hour out,” Laura said.

“Hour and a half at best,” Stiles said with a frown. They were far enough out that in bad weather he and Scott had decided to get a motel room instead of head all the way home.

“Maybe in your junk crate,” Cora teased

“Hey,” Stiles objected, “She’s just as fast as the best of them,”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,”

“Want to put money on that?”

“Cora,” Laura tried to interject but Cora’s predatory gaze was fixed on Stiles

“How much?” Stiles asked.

“Twenty,” Cora volunteered

“Cora!” Laura said as she shoved her sister hard in the side but Stiles was undeterred.

“Deal,” Stiles said and held out his hand to shake on it.

“Stiles,” Derek ‘s hand clamped over Stiles’ arm and Stiles turned to look at him, “You’re going to lose your money,”

“If you don’t believe in the jeep you don’t have to ride in the jeep,”

“You’re not riding with us, you’ll weigh us down too much,” Cora said and stuck her tongue out at Derek who ignored her.

“Don’t worry Derek, Roscoe is very forgiving,” Stiles said as he patted Derek’s hand.

“Roscoe?” Derek asked. He raised an eyebrow and pulled his hand away.

“Yeah man, the car,”

“You named your crappy jeep Roscoe,” Cora asked.

“It’s totally a Roscoe,” Stiles said firmly as he looked to each of them in turn as the siblings shared dubious looks.

“It’s totally a piece of junk,” Cora said.

“You’re going to lose Stilinski, We have better reflexes, we can go faster,” Laura added.

“And I know where all the cops park to catch people who speed,”

“I can charm my way out of anything,” Laura said, “I’ll give you till we’ve finished paying as a head start,”

“You’re on,” Stiles pushed himself up from his seat and pulled Derek’s drink from his hand, “Come on. Derek get up!”

“This is a really stupid idea,” Derek said but moved to stand from the bench.

“Tell me all about it when you’re in the car,” Stiles grabbed Derek’s sleeve and yanked him along behind him.

 

After coaxing the jeep to start Cora and Laura were strolling out of the cafe at a leisurely pace. They stopped to look at a notice board and waved as Stiles pulled past them out of the parking lot.

It took five minutes before he saw them again in his rear view mirror, two more before they were right behind him. Stiles put his foot down where he could but it wasn’t long before they were pulling past him. Derek’s phone went off and when he looked across Derek was shaking his head.

“What’d they say?” Stiles asked,

“Losers,”

“Clearly you guys have never read the hare and the tortoise,” Stiles said, “Or the sheriff’s kid and his backup plans,”

 

“Hey, Parrish. Nice to see you man,” Stiles said as he pulled up alongside the cruiser parked just over the crest of a hill at the start of the Beacon Hills preserve.

“We’re working Stiles,” Haig said from the passenger seat

“Haig, I won’t ask you this because you probably haven’t looked up from whatever you picked out of your nose-,” Stiles started

“I could arrest you,” Haig said and Stiles waved him off dismissively.

“You wouldn’t have happened to see a racing camaro go past recently,” Stiles asked and glanced back at Derek and winked.

“Not racing, no. Laura Hale pulled up to have a chat about twenty minutes ago,” Parrish said with a knowing smile. Stiles huffed and behind him Derek muttered something under his breath.

“Figures,” Stiles said

“I’m starting to see the cracks in your brilliant plan,” Derek said. Stiles twisted back to him to object.

“So you’re the reason we were posted out here,” Haig huffed scowled.

“Reports of a car going well over the limit? Perfect description of Laura Hale’s car?” Parish added.

“I wouldn’t know _anything_ about that,” Stiles said, “Whoever that well meaning citizen was I’m sure they were only looking out for the safety of the community,”

“You’re lucky it’s a quiet week,”

“Beacon Hills, quiet?”

“Without you here no feels the need to go off the rails,”

“Y’know that hurts Haig, but I know where i’m not wanted,” Stiles said as he put the car in gear, “See you Parish,”

“Stay safe, Stiles,” Parrish said.

“So i’m definitely going to owe your sisters twenty dollars,” Stiles said as the police cruiser vanished in his rear view mirror.

“I could have told you that before you ever made the bet,” Derek said, “In fact I think I did,”

“Do you think Cora would accept payment in Reeses of the course of say six months,” Stiles asked as he tried to work out which track was the right one to head up to the Hale house.

“Next right,” Derek volunteered, “ and I think she’s already stolen more than twenty dollars worth of stuff from you,”

“Ah, but are you willing to testify on my behalf,”

“I’ll tell mom and she’ll void the bet,”

“Is your mom going to be home when we get there?”

“Should be. Everyone was going to be at ours this weekend,” Derek said. Stiles caught the tail end of his smile as Derek stared down to his hands, “The whole pack was coming for the week,”

“How big’s your whole pack?” Stiles asked. When no reply came he glanced across and Derek seemed to have gone pale, “Derek?”

“Something’s wrong. Drive faster,” Derek said and when he looked across at stiles there was panic in his eyes. Stiles put his foot down as hard as he dared and the jeeped bounced along over rocks and roots. When he figured they were nearby a strange hazy light started filtering through the trees.

“Do you guys set up a great big bonfire or something?” Stiles asked and the moment he spoke he regretted it.

“No. Drive,” Derek insisted.

“I really can’t go that much faster, I’m going to break something,” Stiles said. Derek growled and at the sound of a snap Stiles looked up to see Derek unclipping his seatbelt and opening the door as they were in motion. Stiles braked hard before the open door hit a tree, “Whoa, hey Derek!” Derek wasn’t listening. He shot out of the car, slammed the door behind him and he took off at speed into the woods towards the house.

Stiles started up the car and took every pothole and furrow in the track with a wince but at he pulled up towards the house. He couldn’t see anyone around but he didn’t get a good look before he jumped out of the jeep. Laura’s camaro was there but Stiles had been more than expecting double smug grins meeting them on arrival. Smoke was billowing out of the top windows and Stiles reached for his phone. He cursed at the lack of signal.

“Don’t move,” Stiles turned to the voice and his eyes landed on a gun aimed at his chest and Kate Argent’s unimpressed stare. His raised his hands in surrender but that didn’t deter her. He could hear his heartbeat loud and racing, and his hands were shaking as he tried to hold them still.

“What the hell?!”

“I think it’s your unlucky day,”

“Listen if this is just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time I’ll just go and pretend I didn’t see uh… anything,” He tried take a step back towards the jeep and Kate tutted.

“Not today,”

“Run Stiles!” Stiles heard Derek yell before he saw him dash from the trees and tackle Kate from the side. Stiles flinched as the gun she was holding went off but he couldn’t tear his eyes off the tangle of claws and blood as Derek fought to keep her down.

All of a sudden Derek launched backwards as Kate held a knife in his direction.

“Aw, poor baby. You don’t want to get nipped by this one,” She said as she tipped the blade in his direction/

“Stiles, you need to run,” Derek said as he backed up further to put himself between Stiles and Kate’s murderous intentions.

A beep of a phone seemed surreal, more so when Kate pulled her phone from her pocket and looked up at the house with a smirk.

“Ready, set,” An explosion shook the house and the ground beneath their feet so much so that Stiles had to steady himself against the jeep. Glass shattered and fire erupted from the basement windows that lined the base of the house. When Stiles looked up the porch had cracked and buckled. There were screams. Derek was screaming.

And Kate. Kate was laughing.

“Stiles, get out of here.,” He said, his voice barely above a whisper, “Now!” He shoved Stiles away and whirled on Kate. His face twisted into a new form and his claws extended. Stiles heard another shot go off and ducked and ran. Half a mile away Parish and Haig were sat in a patrol car. He ran. He tripped and pushed himself up again. There was a sharp pain across his arm and sweat, dirt and blood all seemed to blur into one as finally he reached the road and saw the patrol car up ahead in the layby.

 

Parish stepped out of the car as Stiles neared the car but Stiles waved him back.

“The Hale house, they’ve been attacked,” He gasps. Every breath feels like one he doesn’t know if Derek has been able to take. “Need help,”

“You think we’re going to believe you and your stupid stories,” Haig sneered.

“Shut up Haig!” Parrish said as his pulled Stiles towards the car and gave him a quick once over before pushing Stiles into the back seat and handed over his radio, “Stiles, call it in. Everything you know, everything we’ll need up there,”

 

As they pulled up the drive Stiles could see the smoke and orange flames through the trees. He jumped from car before it had fully stopped and his eyes could barely focus for the smoke.

“Stay with the car Stiles,”

“Not a chance,” Stiles said and was out of the car before Parrish could stand in his way.

“How many people are in there?” Haig asked from somewhere behind him

“At least five,” Stiles said as he pushed forwards, “They might have had guests I didn’t see them before it went up,” There was a shape moving in the smoke, he left Parrish behind and scrambled forwards. Cora was crawling out of the front door of the house, flames on her heels, and clothes smoking.

“Cora! Cora hey, I can help,” He tried to pull her up to her feet and she felt like a dead weight in his arms,”

“Wolfsbane, I-, there’s wolfsbane around the house, need to break the circle,”

“What?”

“A trap, the black ash in a circle around the house,” Cora said between coughs “you have to break the circle. We can’t get out,”

“Right, got it, black ash circle, in a black thick mud and fallen ash,” He pushed at the fallen leaves and cleared a patch from the front door. “Come on,” Cora clawed her way forwards and once she was out of the cloud of ash she gasped for breath. “Help is coming, okay,”

“Cora!” Laura shouted and as Stiles looked up Laura was running towards them and dropped to her knees to pull Cora to her.

“Is everyone out?” He asked Cora who coughed and leant on Laura for support,

“I don’t know,” She said and shook her head and pressed her forehead to Cora’s, “I think so, Mom, Dad and Uncle Peter are all out, injured but alive, I didn’t see anyone else,”

“Where’s Derek?” Stiles asked quickly, “He was fighting Kate, where is he?”

“He wasn’t in the house, I know we’ve cleared the house,” Haig said. Stiles pushed himself up to his feet and shot back towards the house when Haig caught him by the arm.

“Derek!” Stiles yelled. He desperately tried to yank out of Haig’s iron grip, ”Let go of me,”

“Stiles,” Derek said and Stiles turned on the spot, his eyes shot up to a Derek, bloodied and cradling one arm against his chest as he stepped forwards. Haig’s grip dropped and Stiles crossed the dozen feet between them in seconds. There were cuts across his arms that were healing over as Stiles watched them. Derek was still breathing heavily and his face was fading back from it’s more twisted facade.

“Oh thank God,” Stiles said as he reached out to Derek to feel Derek’s breathing and heartbeat to convince himself this was real. “Did everyone get out?”

“Everyone's safe,” Derek said quietly as he nodded.

“Are you sure?”

“I’d know, I’d feel it. We’re all safe,”

“Paramedics will be here in a bit,” Haig said, “Everyone keep away from the building til the firefighters get here,” His radio buzzed with static and Haig lifted it to his ear. “Parrish has another two he’s pulled out of the basement. Was there anyone else?”

“There’s no one else,” Laura said and the wave of relief that flooded through Stiles felt like a rush.

Stiles pulled Derek into a hug, his arms around Derek’s shoulders and when that didn’t ease his anxiety enough he cupped the back of Derek’s head and Derek leant his forehead down against Stiles’ shoulder.

Stiles could feel hard nails digging into his arm but Derek’s grip was just about the only thing keeping him grounded.

When they pulled back and Derek’s eyes flashed blue and his whole body was shaking in Stiles’ arms. Stiles looked up when he heard a gasp from behind them. Laura and Cora were standing there, a woman stood just behind them. Laura looked to be taking a lot of Cora’s weight.

“I had to. I’m sorry. I had to,” Derek said, his voice was weak and he tried to pull Stiles’ hands away.

 

“What? What’s happened?” Stiles asked and he bunched his hands in Derek’s shirt.“Blue eyes, what is that?,”

“Derek’s killed someone,” Cora said quietly.

“Derek,” Talia stepped forwards. Derek looked up and shrank back in the same movement.

“Mom, I-,” Derek said and then his voice trailed off.

“Stiles, your Dad’s here now. He’s looking for you,” Derek’s mom said, “We’ll be quite okay now,”

“Call me okay,” Stiles said to Derek, “If you need anything. Any of you,” He looked up and around.

“Thank you Stiles,” Mrs Hale said. As he passed Cora grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. Behind him Mrs Hale had crouched at Derek’s side.

 

“Call me. For anything,” He said and pulled away.

“We’ll be okay,” Laura said and rested a hand on Stiles’ shoulder as he stepped away from Cora, “You’ll need to see a paramedic more than we will,”

“What?”

“Stiles that’s a bullet wound,” She tapped a finger on his arm and a gash across his upper arm had bled through his shirt and hoodie.

“I got shot,” Stiles said, his voice faint as his stomach turned, “Oh my god, I think I’m gonna-,”

 


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles didn’t remember anything after that. According to Haig, he’d fainted and the paramedics and his dad had bundled him into an ambulance. By the time he came through his arm was stitched and bandaged, his head felt fuzzy, and his dad looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. 

“A quiet weekend at the beach,” His dad said as he helped him in the front door with an arm around his shoulders, “How do you always manage to be in the right place to…”

“Yeah,” Stiles said and immediately his breath escaped him and he coughed, his dad pulled back and pat his back until the coughing subsided and his throat was left raw, “Technically things only turned bad when came back to good old Beacon Hills,”

“You’re a hero, kid,” His dad said, “A hero that needs a week of bedrest,”

“And I will just as soon as you give me my phone back to check in with everyone,” Stiles stretched out his hand and his dad shook his head. Stiles huffed and sank back against the pillows. 

“Cora dropped this off for you,” His dad reached into his pocket and dropped a Reeses on the bedcovers, “Rest up kiddo, I’ll be back in a minute,”

Stiles looked around and saw his phone and wallet in the bedside table. He reached for his phone and felt a sore burn on his skin as if it were pulled too tight.

There were half a dozen texts on his phone, a couple of missed calls; Scott, Isaac, Cora, Allison and Kira. He clicked down to Cora’s first.

 

_I think we’re all grounded forever._

It was enough to reassure him that they were all okay. He clicked through the other messages before he dropped the phone back on the table . The minute his head hit the pillow his exhaustion and painkillers caught up with him and before his dad returned, Stiles was asleep.

Stiles didn’t hear from them for the rest of their week’s worth of break. He had some schoolwork to do, a check up and some videogame sessions with Scott. He’d heard the hales were staying in a separate guest cottage on their land a few miles further out. He figured the Hales wanted to keep all of their family close for a little while anyway but he was surprised to see both Cora and Derek back at school on their first day back. His own arm was still in a bandage but they both looked entirely normal, if a little subdued. 

Derek didn’t appear at lunch but Cora dropped down onto the bench beside him. It took Cora ten minutes before the incessant questions about the fire had he snapping at a freshman. Stiles could understand why he would want to avoid them all for a little while. 

Another week after that and although the questions had died down in favour of a new latest drama, Derek still didn’t appear at lunch. Stiles tried texting him but didn’t get a reply. 

 

The last bell went on the following Friday and as Stiles was carried along in the crush of students he realised he hadn’t got his keys. He searched his back as he walked out to the parking lot, hoping that he wouldn’t have to go back and search every classroom he’d been in that day. 

He unloaded all of his books onto the hood of the jeep yet the bottom of every pocket only held dust and lint. He groaned. 

“Hey, Stilinski,” Stiles looked up to see both Laura and Cora heading his way, “Missing something,” Cora asked holding up his keys in one hand.

“You are a lifesaver,” He reached for them and Cora yanked them away.

“We need to talk,” Laura said, a solemn and wary tone to her voice.

“What’s happened?”

“Nothing, that’s the problem,” Cora said with a huff as she rolled her eyes/

“You’ve lost me,” Stiles said.

“Why haven’t you been speaking to Derek?” Laura asked. 

“Because he hasn’t been around,”

“Neither have you!” Cora said

“I’ve been exactly where I always am. I’ve texted,”

“We’re grounded. No phones,” Laura explained, but in a way that still left Stiles confused.

“So how was I supposed to track him down? Follow his scent? Steal his keys so he had to talk to me?” Stiles asked, “‘Cause really that’s your speciality,”

“You could have come over,” Laura said

“You’re grounded,” Stiles said slowly as if the words might mean something different to them than the rest of the population.

“That doesn’t mean anything if you're part of the pack,” Laura said and Stiles paused. His train of thought stalled and he stuttered over the words he’d just heard.

“And I’m… part of the pack,”

“You saved our lives, we can’t repay that debt,” Laura said. Stiles shook his head and frowned.

“There’s no debt,” 

“But we could trust you to do it again,” Laura said.

“You’re practically family Stiles,” Cora said, “You’re pack,” 

“And Derek’s being an idiot who won’t speak to anyone and you fixed that last time,” Laura said.

“But we’ll still hurt you if you hurt him,” Cora said and Stiles took a step back.

“Wait, what?”

“We all know you like him back,” Cora said in an exasperated tone.

“Back?”

“You’re stupider than usual,” Cora said and leant forwards to snap her fingers in front of his face, “The smoke can’t still be affecting you can it?”

“Hey!”

“You’re invited to dinner tomorrow night,” Laura said as she took the Keys from Croa and handed them back to Stiles.

“You’re invited every night according to Mom, but she doesn’t know how irritating you can be,” Cora said.

“See you Stiles,” Laura said and the pair turned to walk away. Stiles stood for a moment bewildered before he turned back to the jeep to gather up all of his stuff. For such a short conversation he had learnt more about the Hales than he thought could be possible. 

 

When he pulled up outside the Hale’s cottage the next day he wasn’t sure what to expect. It was smaller than the main house, double fronted and Ivy had covered most of the outer walls. 

“He’s not coming out of his room,” Cora said as she jogged over from the front door as Stiles stepped out of the jeep.

“Honestly i’m surprised a door would stop you,”

“Mom doesn’t like it when we break down doors,”

“So I’m supposed to shout through the bedroom door?”

“Or climb up to the window,” She pointed up the the first floor window to the right of the porch, “The ledge is wide enough to stand on,”

“Excuse you,”

“You’ll be fine. He’ll be worried about you falling and let you in,”

“I’ll be worried about falling!” Stiles said but he did little to protest as Cora pushed him towards the corner of the house and pointed out where he could best pull himself up.

“Derek,” Stiles called out as he knocked hard on the window pane, “Hey, are you going to open up?”

“No,”

“What if _I_ fall?”

“Then you shouldn’t have climbed up there,” Derek said and shut the curtains. Stiles glanced down to Cora who gestured with impatience for him to carry on.

“Fine. Derek, if you won’t open this window I’m just going to talk through it and embarrass myself in front of your whole family; wouldn’t exactly be the first time,”

Derek threw open the curtains and stood glaring out at him. Stiles waited a moment in case he’d open the window but to no avail he huffed “fine.” and balanced himself a little better for outburst that was brewing.

 

“I know you’ve got like loads going on in your head but if any of it includes blaming yourself that’s so wrong, y’know. I’ve missed talking to you as well, like there are so many times you would have helped me prove Isaac and Cora wrong about everything,” Stiles said, Cora swore up as him, “Would you like, not stand there?”

“Who’s going to catch you when you fall?”

“With any luck the ground will swallow me up after this,” Stiles said. He shut his eyes and continued, “Derek, I don’t know whether you know this, but it feels like everyone else knows exactly how much I like you. I mean if you weren’t so distant with everyone else you’d probably have a new date every day. And even your sisters have pre-emptively threatened me but letting you down in any way was not in my plan,”

“You had a plan,” Derek said. Stiles looked up and Derek had opened the curtains again.

“Yeah man, a ten year plan to get you to notice me,” 

“Lydia was your ten year plan,” Derek said,

“No way man, that was a front; she’s incredible, but my crush on her fizzled out after, like, no time at all,”

“And now … me,”

“Yeah, you dumbass,”

“You hated me,” Derek said and Stiles felt like his stomach was about to drop out of 

“And regularly stated how you were unobtainably attractive. I’m pretty sure we both went back and forth quite a bit,” Stiles said

“What do you, want?”

“To date you, mostly. I know it’s not necessarily the best time but, I would date the hell out of you like you wouldn’t believe,” Derek chuckled and Stiles felt hope creep back into view. “So maybe you might say something along the likes of ‘I like you too’ or ‘take me now!’”

“I like you too Stiles,”

“Good enough,” Stiles nodded and then looked around, “Well no, not good enough I’m probably going to fall off this roof if you don’t let me inside any time soon,”

Derek unlatched the window and opened it wide. Stiles shuffled across the window ledge and moved to pull himself inside only Derek didn’t move out of the way and Stiles’ balance wobbled.

“Hey, come on man!”

“Derek let the poor boy in I do not want to make a trip to the hospital this evening!” Stile sheard Derek’s Mom shout from somewhere in the house.

“He climbed up there!” Derek shouted back.

“Derek Hale!”

“Fine,” He took the extra couple of steps over to the window and threw it open and Stiles jumped in taking a moment to catch his balance and then without warning launching forwards and shoving Derek hard.

“Asshole!” and then just as quickly closing the gap between them, kissing him with a clashing of teeth and over enthusiasm. Derek pulled him towards the bed and then fell backwards onto it with Stiles landing on top of him.

 

“Oh my God!” Cora shouted up from outside “Overeager much?”

“Derek behave yourself!” Talia called up to them. Derek dropped his head back onto the pillow and silently wished away his family’s advanced hearing. 

Stiles pulled back, his hands still roaming up and down Derek’s chest over his shirt and eyes never leaving Derek’s. 

“Yes mom,” He groaned. 

“Is Stiles staying for dinner?” Derek’s mom shouted up to them and Derek asked Stiles with a raised eyebrow.

“If it’s not too much trouble,” Stiles said to Derek and shrugged, “I was invited,”

“By all means, just try to keep it PG up there,”

“Yes Mrs Hale,”

 

Stiles dropped his head to Derek’s shoulder and took a deep breath. “I can’t break a promise to _your mom,_ ”

“Technically you didn’t promise,”

“I really don’t want to be banned from your house,”

“You’re pack, you can’t be banned from the house,”

“I really don’t know what that means, like Laura and Cora said that too,”

“You thought you weren’t?”

“How long has this been a thing that you have never told me at all,”

“Since you were important to us,”

“Congratulation on your vagueness. Has Dr Deaton been giving you lessons?”

“We’ve felt a pack bond from you for months now,”

“We? As in Hale family of werewolves: we,”

“Yeah,”

“Oh my God, is that why Cora developed the habit of hitting me round the back of the head?”

“She probably feels inclined to do that anyway,”

 

 

A month or so after they were all sat down for lunch at school. The Hale house was in the process of being rebuilt and although Stiles and Derek had been keeping their relationship to themselves they spent a lot of time at each other’s side. Derek had won his first swimming competition last week after returning to the team and Stiles had struggled to keep from kissing him right there in front of the whole school.

Derek had arrived late for lunch and Stiles had already been surrounded by people so he’d taken a seat on the other side of the table and proceeded to trap Stiles’s feet between him own. He’d also pulled out a book and had proceeded to effectively ignore the entire group. Stiles figured he was always still half listening. 

Stiles was deep in a conversation with Allison and Isaac, all three anticipating the upcoming prom. Allison and Isaac were going together but as friends; a decision that Stiles was certain wouldn’t last the night. 

“Well at least you’ve been asked y’know.” Stiles said

 

“Hey,” Derek kicked Stiles foot to get his attention.

“Ow!” Stiles protested.

“Do you want to go to the prom with me?” Derek could have sworn the whole cafeteria went silent around them. Stiles looked to be in shock until slowly a smile spread across his face which then evolved into a full grin. 

“I think he’s waiting for you to say yes,” Allison whispered in his ear. Just then the bell sounded and suddenly all around them were too many people pushing past for Stiles to circle the table. Stiles instead climbed straight over the table. Derek stood up and took a step back to accommodate him stepping down. Stiles threw his arms around Derek’s shoulders and kissed him hard. 

“Is that a yes?” Derek asked when Stiles finally pulled away.

“Asshole, this is how you choose to tell all our friends?”

“I really don’t think they care,”

 

“We already knew,” Isaac groaned.

“Stilinski you are NOT missing Chem, it’s paired group work and I am not working with Erica again,” Lydia shouted

“Yes, your highness,”

“And sort your hair out,”

“Oops,” Stiles reached out to flatten Derek’s hair into some semblance of order before running a hand through his own. “This isn’t over mister,” Stiles said pointing between them. 

“I hope not,” Derek said as he caught hold of the sleeve of Stiles’ jacket. Stiles bent to grab his bag from under the table.

“I have a double chemistry session and you, you! I don’t even have words,”

“That’s a rare occurrence. Perhaps there’s a blue moon out tonight,”

“Hey, what do blue moons do to you?” Stiles asked as he stood up straight and lifted his bag up onto his shoulder.

“Uncontrollable sex drive,” Derek deadpanned.

“Really?”

“Get to class,” Derek pulled him into for another kiss before pushing him in the direction of the labs.

“I think i’m in love,” Stiles said and as he pulled away he saw his own grin mirrored on Derek. He pulled away and started stepping backwards, “Don’t miss me too much!”

“Can’t see why I would,” Derek said and shook his head and Stiles back away until he bumped into someone and was forced to turn away and look where he was going.


End file.
